MY GARDEN 



NEIGHBORS 




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Book ' Ra;^ 
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COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr. 




THE BLUEBIRD 



My 



Garden Neighbors 



True Stories of 
Nature's Children 



By L. A. REED, B.S.,M.S. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 

REVIEW AND HERALD PUB. ASS'N 
1905 



fw5; Copies rtee^vexi 

OCT 31 ?^C)& 






Copyrighted, 1905 
By L. a. Reed 






^ 

V 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I A Neighborhood Quarrel 7 

II Mr. Dickey One-Leg 31 

III Troubles in Housekeeping 45 

IV First Neighbors 61 

V Undesirable Neighbors 73 

VI A Morning Lecture 85 

VII A Very Odd Neighbor 95 

VIII A Disturber of the Peace in 

IX Mrs. Spinner 135 

X The Neighbor in Red. ...' 153 

XI Imposing on Others 163 

XII The School of the Birds 179 

XIII Bird- WAYS 199 

XIV Invitations to the Birds 215 

XV Introductions to the Birds. . . 221 
To Find the Name of a Given 

Bird 223 

Special Descriptions 226 

The Study of Birds 252 

Index 255 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

Once upon a time, that is to say, last sum- 
mer, there stood in the man's garden a pole, 
and on the pole a bird-box. 

Now, this bird-box had been built for blue- 
birds alone, and had all birds in that section 
respected the fact, this story would not have 
been written. 

This box had been built upon scientific 
principles. It had an entrance hole just the 
right size for a bluebird, no larger, no 
smaller. 

And most important of all, it had no perch 
in front of the entrance; it had no front 
porch, so to speak; for the bluebirds, so the 
books say, by building in old woodpecker 
holes, have learned, — now, note the words, — 
have learned to fly directly into the nest with- 
out the aid of a perch. 

All this being in accordance with the books, 
and the books being only the unimpeachable 

7 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

wisdom of the wise, it stands to reason that 
the owner of the aforesaid bird-box had no 
misgivings whatever, when one fine morning 
in early spring he saw two sparrows making a 
thorough investigation of that scientific box. 

There was the sign, *^ For Rent; bluebirds 
only need apply," showing in that bare, un- 
broken front of bird-box. They sat on the 
roof, these two sparrows, and discussed the sit- 
uation. It was a hard proposition for spar- 
rows. For unrecorded ages no sparrow had 
ever rented a home for the summer unless the 
house had a front porch. 

Here was a home just to their taste — all 
but the porch. But how could they ever get 
into it? It was very provoking; that is, to 
sparrows. 

But the owner of the house laughed softly 
to himself. He had built a house that was 
proof against sparrows; he could afford to 
laugh. 

*' You can't make it, can you? " he said to 
the sparrows. '^ You might as well fly along. 
You are not welcome here. That box was 
made for bluebirds, and no sparrow living 

8 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

can get into it. Go on about your business; 
go on, I say." 

The sparrows did not mind what he said, 
and would have remained for all of his re- 
marks; but the clod of dirt the man threw 
was more convincing than his argument, and 
so they left at once. 

It was not long, however, before they were 
back again; in fact, they returned as soon as 
the man had disappeared. Their wits still 
worked with the mighty problem of how to 
get into that box. On the roof of the house 
they gathered and plotted a hundred times 
a day. 

And then the bluebirds came! 

Of course, there was trouble at once and 
continuously. The sparrow is not one to be 
imposed upon, and an imposition he con- 
sidered this conduct of the bluebirds. 

In a very unexplainable way to the spar- 
rows, Mr. Bluebird flew into the box as neatly 
as you please, inspected the inside, and came 
out again. Then he talked with Mrs. Blue- 
bird, and just as easily she flew in, looked 
about the place, and came out again. 

9 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Mr. Sparrow flew back and forth, and was 
very much excited. He saw that his rights 
as a sparrow were endangered. Again and 
again he called for Mrs. Sparrow, and at last 
she came. 

Just at this time the bluebirds were on the 
roof, having an earnest and interesting con- 
ference. It took but a few notes of explana- 
tion from Mr. Sparrow, and then the fight 
began. 

There is no knowing how the battle would 
have ended, had not the owner appeared and 
taken a hand. He threw clods at the spar- 
rows, but managed to frighten the bluebirds 
about as badly as the sparrows. 

Nevertheless, the sparrows were driven off. 
They could come back, however, about as 
quickly as they went; and always they were 
full of fight. 

The bluebirds seemed to be hardly a match 
for the aggressive, bold, stubborn sparrows; 
and when the battle pressed too hard, they 
took refuge in flight. But on one point they 
had the advantage over the sparrows: they 
could enter the box whenever they chose. 

lO 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

The best that the sparrows could do, was to 
alight on the roof of the bird-house, and hop 
and scold, and scold and hop; and threaten 
the bluebirds with extermination if they 
dared dispute their title to this mansion. 

But the bluebird, in a wink, would fly di- 
rectly into the front door, without so much 
as a *' Thank you " or " If you please." In- 
side he was perfectly safe from the sparrows; 
and when he was through with the work 
within, out he came, and was away again 
before the sparrows could utter a peep. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow were puzzled to 
know how a bird could fly into a hole like 
that. They wanted a place to alight on first, 
and then but a hop and they would be inside. 
This flying straight into a front door, with- 
out even so much as to stop to scrape your 
feet, was so out of order. For ages their race 
had never done it that way. It would be so 
much easier to have a resting-place at the 
front of the door. 

Thus for a week or two the struggle went 
on, the sparrows seeking to win by sheer 
force and fight, the bluebirds getting their 

II 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

way always in spite of the sparrows, because 
of a mother-wit that showed them how. 

It was a battle between brains and brawn, 
in which brains was represented by the blue- 
birds, and brawn by the sparrows. It be- 
came painfully manifest that the bluebirds 
had the best of it. 

But the owner of the garden, watching the 
constant battle and the unabating pugnacity 
of the sparrows, grew worried and nervous 
over the possible outcome. He knew that the 
bluebirds love peace; and he feared that they 
would become tired of the battle, and leave, 
in order to escape the worry of their enemies. 

And so he borrowed a gun. A little 
twenty-two caliber weapon it was, guaranteed 
to kill birds and not worry the neighbors. 

The sparrows, all unsuspecting at first, let 
him fire a few broadsides at them, in which 
none of them were hurt. After that, they 
moved into the next block whenever he ap- 
peared with that shooting-machine in his 
hand. They promptly came back, however, 
when the gun was put away. Dull as they 
might be considered by their human neigh- 

12 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

bors, they had learned in a few minutes the 
advantage of keeping out of the reach of the 
weapon that vomited fire. 

And the gun frightened the bluebirds, as 
well. By some means, in fact, the sparrows 
had told all the birds in the neighborhood 
that a bird massacre was impending. Robins, 
sparrows, blackbirds, bluebirds, and every 
other feathered denizen of the community, 
became excited, flew about nervously, talking 
incessantly, whenever that old gun banged 
forth its fiery warning. 

It certainly would not do. The bluebirds 
were more likely to leave than the sparrows. 
The gun was leaned in a corner, to stay there 
until it went back to its owner. 

And the bluebirds kept on with their 
building , and the sparrows kept on with 
their fight. 

It was beginning to get late for nest build- 
ing. It was time for the sparrows to be at 
housekeeping; they realized that. Even if 
there were no bluebirds, they could not get 
into the house. They were simply forced by 
circumstances to find another place. 

15 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Two children, living next door, had been 
watching the contest between the birds. To 
them it was an interesting fight. They wished 
a few birds would come over their way, and 
start a miniature prize-fight, too. So they 
put a box with a hole in it on the limb of an 
apple tree. 

The day they did it, an energetic, wide- 
awake wren saw it, inspected it, and took pos- 
session. He began at once to stuff it full of 
sticks, for he needed them for his housekeep- 
ing. He uses them for his furniture, so to 
speak. He certainly did not know how much 
he needed, for he kept at work until he could 
barely stuff any more inside. 

Then he perched outside and sang his best. 
Wrens must have been scarce that season, for 
sing as he would, there was no answering 
note. He was just one, lonely wren. 

And now the sparrows appeared. They 
liked the house. It suited them almost as 
well as the house on the pole which the blue- 
birds had taken. And here there was so much 
fine furniture brought, all clean and handy! 

Yes, the house suited them. They wanted 
i6 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

it, and as sparrows always expect to get what 
they want, they set about to take possession. 
But the wren just as surely expected them 
not to get possession, and so there was another 
fight. 

It was a real fight; there was no question 
about it. Though the wren was but one, and 
the sparrows two, he made up by motion and 
spunk and wit what otherwise he lacked. 
^ Thus the boys had just what they had 
hoped for — a real bird battle on their side 
of the fence. 

Sometimes the sparrows got tired of fight- 
ing the wren, and tried a few sorties with the 
bluebirds. But as they accomplished nothing 
with these, they soon came back to the wren. 

Whenever they gave him a chance, Mr. 
Wren kept on with his lawful task of hunting 
a wife. The way a wren has of doing this, is 
to sit by his ready-made nest, and almost sing 
his head off; at least, he looks as if he would. 
He can utter more warbles to the minute, and 
send them out with more pressure to the 
square inch, than any other bird that wears 
feathers. 

17 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Mr. Wren lived up to the reputation of his 
family. He sang for a wife and fought spar- 
rows, and fought sparrows and sang for a 
wife. But no wife came. 

At last he seemed to realize that he was to 
be a bachelor. When the fact dawned upon 
him, he seemed at once to reconcile himself 
to his fate. He immediately gave way to the 
sparrows. 

Without even so much as a ''Thank you," 
they took possession of the box in the apple 
tree. 

The fight was over. There was peace be- 
tween the sparrows and the bluebirds, for 
each had a home of his own. And there was 
peace between the sparrows and the wren, for 
the wren had withdrawn all opposition, and 
had given them the products of his toil. 

There was peace throughout the garden 
and among the blossoming fruit trees. The 
apple trees were white with bloom, and every 
branch swung its fragrant censer to the 
breeze. The peach trees were pink with a 
fulness of blossoms, and the white plum 
trees saturated the air with their perfume. 

i8 




I? 



bfVBETT. 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

Housekeeping with the birds went on in 
peace. The wren lived alone in the orchard. 
He was an old bachelor indeed, but the fact 
did not seem to wear on his spirits; no, 
not for a minute. He sang until every feather 
on his little body quivered with the ecstasy. 

When the sparrows' eggs hatched, he did 
his part in supplying the young sparrows 
with plenty of food. Of course, they were not 
his children ; and he did not have to support 
other birds' children; certainly not. But 
there was nothing else for him to do, except 
to eat and to sing, and he could not eat and 
sing all of the time — his stomach and his 
vocal organs had their limits. Therefore, 
for exercise and for the sheer delight of be- 
ing useful and obliging, he continued his 
missionary labor of filling those gaping 
mouths with food. 

The old sparrows seemed at first a little 
surprised at the work of the wren, and grew 
a trifle excited, and expostulated for a spell. 
But they soon saw the advantage of it, and 
the wren was given full liberty to continue 
his good work. 

21 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

He did not bring the same kind of food 
the sparrows did, but young birds never re- 
fuse anything ofifered them. It is certain the 
small, green worms the wren fed them did 
them no harm; for they thrived and grew, 
and none of them ever had a chance to get 
very hungry. 

The bluebirds seemed always happy. The 
owner of the garden sometimes stopped to 
watch them. Mr. Bluebird was often busy, 
bringing food for his w^ife, and saying nice 
things in a tone of voice that clearly indicated 
his love. 

The owner of the garden found some grub- 
worms while spading his garden for the 
spring crop of vegetables. He threw them 
out on the surface of the ground, and it was 
surprising how quickly they were seized by 
Mr. Bluebird and carried away to the house 
on the pole. 

Now, here was an idea. The wren could 
help the sparrows, but the owner of the gar- 
den would help the bluebirds. He knew 
where among a tangle of roots there were 
dozens of grubs, all fat and white. 

22 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

He dug up four fine big fellows and put 
them in a strawberry box and set them in the 
open. They were not there two minutes be- 
fore Mr. Bluebird spied them. How excited 
he became! He was a trifle afraid, for the 
owner of the garden stood close by. 

He flew at once to the house on the pole, 
and an exciting conversation ensued. He 
evidently told Mrs. Bluebird about the grubs. 
She became excited, too. Mr. Bluebird flew 
to the apple tree; Mrs. Bluebird lighted on a 
peach tree hard by. 

" O, where are they? " she seemed to say. 

'Wait, wait; I'll show you," said Mr. Blue- 
bird, as he lighted on another branch of the 
apple tree and swung lower. He looked 
sharply at the man and then even more 
sharply at the grubs. One of the worms was 
trying to get away. There was no resisting 
the temptation. Down he swooped and 
lighted on the edge of the strawberry box. 

First he took a good look all about him, 
then he dived into the box and held up a big 
fat worm in his bill, and finally flew away 
over the fence to an undisturbed feast. In a 

23 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

moment Mrs. Bluebird followed his example. 
She, too, lighted on the edge of the box, took 
a good survey of the situation, seized another 
of the grubs, and flew to the foot of the apple 
tree. 

As soon as she had finished the first, she 
came back for the second, and while she was 
busy with that, Mr. Bluebird returned and 
took the fourth and last. And so the four 
grubs were disposed of almost in less time 
than one can relate it. They had divided 
them between them, just two apiece. 

The owner of the garden stood and won- 
dered how it had all been brought about. 
How had Mr. Bluebird informed his wife 
of the waiting grubs? She had certainly 
understood, and had come at once without 
the need of a second invitation. 

The man did not understand how Mr. 
Bluebird could invite his wife to come all 
the way across the garden; but plainly he 
had given her the invitation, and she had 
promptly accepted it. They had then divided 
the feast equally between them. 

The bluebirds were an unending pleasure 

24 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

to the man, and it was a sorry day when the 
young birds were grown, and, with their par- 
ents, left the garden. And they did not once 
come back. 

There were still the sparrows, and when 
the young were grown, the wren took his de- 
parture. 

More than once the owner of the garden 
had congratulated himself upon the genius 
that had pointed out the secret of keeping the 
sparrows out of the boxes of the bluebirds. 

^' Put no porch before the door; " that was 
all there was to it. ^^ The sparrow being no 
aeronaut," said the genius,*' finds difficulty in 
entering a hole unless there is a perch beside 
it, where, as it were, he can have his feet on 
the ground. The bluebird, on the contrary, 
is so used to building in woodpecker holes, 
none of which are blessed with piazzas or 
front-door steps, that he has no trouble in 
flying directly into a nest hole. So, by making 
the bluebird houses without perches, the spar- 
rows may be kept away." 

How thankful the owner was for this safe 
device of the genius! It was this alone that 

25 



" MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

had given the bluebirds advantage over the 
sparrows, and been the means of the sparrows' 
defeat. Because of this simple and effective 
idea, the garden all these weeks had been 
blessed with the presence of the noble blue- 
birds. Hereafter, he would always have 
bluebirds in his garden, and the sparrows 
would be pushed back into a corner. 

The bluebirds had learned this trick of 
flying directly into a box by having nested 
in woodpecker holes — so said the genius. 
But what the bluebirds had learned, possibly 
other birds may come to learn, of course, ex- 
cepting sparrows. 

But it is evident that the example of the 
bluebirds, kept constantly before the spar- 
rows all these weeks, had certainly not been 
lost upon them. How to get into that box on 
the pole, had been the puzzling question that 
had first confronted them. The fact that the 
bluebirds knew how to do it and that they 
could not do it, is what settled who should 
have the box for a nest. 

But the sparrows had seen the bluebirds 
fly straight into that box a hundred times or 

26 



A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL 

more, and they had seen how it was done; the 
next thing was to try the same thing in their 
own way the first chance that offered. 

This chance to try the new trick came to 
the sparrows as soon as the bluebird family 
moved out. No one saw their first blunder- 
ing attempts, but one day the lady of the gar- 
den said, — 

" There are some birds building a nest in 
the bluebird box." 

The owner investigated, and an English 
sparrow flew out of the box. And so the 
lady and the owner hid away to see how in the 
world those sparrows managed to get into 
that box. 

The owner was indeed a surprised man 
when he saw one of his despised sparrows 
fly to the box entrance, catch on the edge of 
the box, stand up so straight against the side 
of the box that he almost fell over backwards, 
then tuck his head inside the hole, and lo! he 
had disappeared within. 

The owner was paralyzed with amazement. 
The genius had been circumvented. The 
bluebirds had been outwitted. A sparrow, 

27 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

after his own blundering fashion, had mas- 
tered the secret. 

The owner of the garden does not believe 
all the emphatic statements he finds in bird- 
books any more. He says that the books, as 
well as clothing, soon get out of date. You 
see how it is — the birds learn so fast. 



28 



MR. DICKEY ONE-LEG 




II 

MR. DICKEY ONE-LEG 

He came into the world one day in late 
summer. He did not seem much different 
from any other English sparrow in the neigh- 
borhood. He was simply the same little 
bunch of brown feathers and business that 
they all are. 

But from among his fellows he soon came 
to be known by the fact that he had chosen 
for a roost a sheltered spot beneath the roof 
of the back porch. 

At first he always flew out when any one 
came near, and as his chosen resting-place was 
near the pump, he was often disturbed. As 
the days went by, and no one seemed to pay 
any attention to him, he sometimes stayed 
when any of the folks came to the well for 
water. 

After a time he became more bold, and 
would even take his place at roosting time, 
although some of the women were chatting 
on the back steps but a few feet away. • 

31 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

There was some very cold weather that 
winter, and one day in February the ther- 
mometer went down to twenty-seven below 
zero. It would seem that all the birds out 
of doors would freeze to death. 

But Mr. Dick of the back porch did not 
intend to freeze, not at least when there was 
so much warmth inside the house. 

That evening he began to realize that the 
weather was a good deal colder than usual, 
and, when it got worse than he cared to en- 
dure, he left his perch under the porch and 
knocked on the window; anyway his bill did 
some good tapping. Whether he was knock- 
ing for entrance or only trying to fly into a 
place that his instincts taught him to be 
warmer than where he was, I can not say. I 
have known more than one bird to be puzzled 
by the mysteries of glass. 

But the lady within heard the noise, and 
being a very kind and hospitable lady, she 
let down the window, and Mr. Dick flew in. 

He lighted on the curtain pole above the 
window, and looked down on his lady host in 
a very serious and interested way. 

32 



MR. DICKEY ONE-LEG 

She gently closed the window and went 
back to her place by the table. Woman and 
bird watched each other for a time, and then 
Mr. Dick concluded it was all right, and 
settled down for his night's rest. 

In the morning he was impatient to be 
away, and the lady let him out, and gave him 
a fine breakfast on the snow just outside. 

The weather kept cold. There was noth- 
ing anywhere for a bird to eat, and no com- 
fortable place to sleep, and that night again 
Mr. Dick came back and knocked once more 
on the window. Again the lady let him in, 
and he slept safely and comfortably on the 
curtain pole above the window. 

But the next day the weather grew warmer, 
and he seemed to think his old place under 
the porch was good enough, so he went back 
to roost on the ledge under the shelter of the 
roof. 

Sometimes he seemed afraid to stay there 
in the evening until it had grown somewhat 
dark, so that the foolish little fellow thought 
no one would notice him. Then he would 
fly under when no one was looking, or at any 

3 33 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

rate he thought they were not, and there he 
would remain. 

More than once, just at bedtime, the man 
went out and lighted a match, to find Mr. 
Dick perched up in his corner, all safe and 
comfortable. 

When the spring came, Mr. Dick found a 
mate, and they built a nest in the rotten stub 
of a silver maple, where a woodpecker had 
made his hole the previous winter. 

When Mrs. Sparrow settled down to the 
work of brooding, Mr. Sparrow was kept 
busy getting food for her and the babies. 
But sometimes he had a little leisure, and 
perched on the highest stub of the old maple, 
where he tried his best to warble the thank- 
fulness he felt. Sometimes it seemed as if 
he really would manage a trill or two, and 
possibly a few rounds of melody, but they 
were mere suggestions, that failed to develop 
into reality. He couldn't sing, that was very 
evident; but, like some other than birds, he 
continued to persist in making the attempt. 
Otherwise than showing how he felt, it was 
certainly a dead failure. 

34 



MR. DICKEY ONE-LEG 

In Morgan County, I am told, there is a 
royalty of two cents paid for the head of an 
English sparrow. The boys, consequently, 
are growing quite expert with their deadly 
sling-shots in their ambitious effort to earn 
spending money. 

In process of time one of these ambitious 
youngsters passed by the old silver maple, 
where Mr. Sparrow was trying to sing his 
head off. 

Whiff! went the sling-shot, and Mr. Spar- 
row flew away with one of his legs missing. 
It had been shot off just above the joint by 
the keen cutting shot of the boy's weapon. 

Crutches are an unknown quantity among 
sparrows, and hopping on one leg is neither 
graceful nor easy. Mr. Sparrow came back 
to his tree after a time, but he caught a good 
scolding from Mrs. Sparrow when he did. 

She did not seem to know what was the 
matter with him, or seemed to think he was 
merely playing lazy. She told him to be off 
on a hunt for food. He argued back, and 
tried to explain that he was hurt and couldn't 
work any more that day. 

3^ 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Then Mrs. Sparrow got angry and flew at 
him to give him a flouncing. Lame as he was, 
he could fly as well as ever, and he kept out 
of her way. 

Then she coaxed him, and pleaded with 
him, and reminded him of the babies. 

He had settled on the tin roof of the back 
porch. He could not stand very easily on 
one leg, so he squatted down on his breast 
and closed his eyes as if he felt pretty miser- 
able. I have no doubt he did feel so, having 
one of his legs chopped off. 

But Mrs. Sparrow did not intend to let 
him sleep or to give him very much peace. 
Every now and then she landed near him, 
sometimes talking to him in a quiet, earnest 
way, sometimes scolding him pretty thor- 
oughly, always urging him to help about 
getting food. 

And when Mrs. Sparrow was not busy 
coaxing or entreating or scolding her lord, 
she was busy getting food for the young spar- 
rows in the nest. 

Sometimes Mr. Sparrow would rouse up 
a little, tumble or hop about on one leg, using 

36 



MR. DICKEY ONE-LEG 

his wings very vigorously the while. Then 
he would settle down again, close his eyes, 
and with bill open, seemingly pant for life. 

Mrs. Sparrow either could not understand 
what ailed him, or else thought he was a mere 
good-for-nothing. Anyway, she made up her 
mind to get a divorce from him then and 
there, and marry somebody that would work, 
instead of lie around on the roof all day. 

Shortly after coming to this conclusion, she 
appeared with a new husband. He was a 
fat, smart, rather youngish-looking creature. 
He followed Mrs. Sparrow until he caught 
sight of Mr. Sparrow-with-the-one-leg, and 
then he stopped and shouted out a challenge. 

Mr. One-leg answered him back. At this, 
Mr. New Sparrow assumed a fighting atti- 
tude and challenged again and called names. 
Mr. One-leg answered him back, challenge 
for challenge, name for name. But Mr. One- 
leg wouldn't leave his rest on the roof. Then 
Mr. New Sparrow flew a trifle nearer the 
nest and challenged again. Mr. One-leg 
brightened up a trifle and challenged louder 
than his enemy. 

39 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Then Mr. New Sparrow attempted to fly 
to the twig just in front of the stub that held 
the nest. That was the signal for a fight, 

Mr. One-leg went at Mr. New Sparrow 
like a shot from a gun. Mr. New Sparrow 




r^tPhoQbe 



was off with a vengeance, and kept well out 
of the w^ay of Mr. One-leg, who soon came 
back and settled in a crotch of the maple. 
The next day was a repetition of what the 
previous day had been. Mrs. Sparrow found 
several mates, and brought them to the maple, 

40 



MR. DICKEY ONE-LEG 

only to have them all driven away again by 
the furious attacks of Mr. One-leg. 

And he not only attacked the birds she 
brought, but he gave her a good scolding each 
time into the bargain. Sometimes he remon- 
strated, sometimes he waxed wrathy. But 
she could scold, too, and they had it back and 
forth quite considerably. 

She objected to having to do all the work 
herself, and he, of course, couldn't help, and 
wouldn't allow any other bird to do what 
plainly it was his duty to do. 

She called him a miserable, lazy good-for- 
nothing. He tried to explain that he wasn't 
lazy, but sick, and ought to be in the hospital 
instead of having to fight for his rights and 
be abused by her. 

But after a day or two more he grew much 
better, seemed to get his spirits again, and 
managed to use his one leg with a good deal 
of dexterity. Once in a while he would 
wobble a little and have to hop some to keep 
his balance. 

As soon as he was well enough to gather 
food, he found little trouble in making up 

41 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



with his wife, and he was soon as useful and 
as happy a bird as he ever had been. His 
mate followed him around as lovingly and 
dutifully as in the former days. And the 
young birds grew and flourished under their 

care, and soon went 
out into the world to 
brave their own dan- 
gers, such, for ex- 
ample, as boys and 
sling-shots. 

It seems to be true 
with birds, as well as 
with people, that if 
one only has the spirit 
and courage to push 
ahead, they can suc- 
ceed in spite of great 
and many obstacles. 
A handicap does not necessarily prevent or 
hinder success. So it has proved with Mr. 
Dickey One-leg. 







42 



TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 




Ill 

TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 

The first indications of the coming of the 
bluebirds were a few faint rumors. Just a 
note now and then from far away, a vague 
suggestion of song, a wandering voice that 
presaged the arrival of the little creatures in 
blue. 

Then came on a cold snap and a light flurry 
of snow. There was not a sound of the mur- 
muring song again for over a week. 

But soon the snow melted, the weather 
gradually got warmer, and one sunshiny day 
there was the bluebird, sitting on one of the 
posts of the grape trellis. His appearance 
was almost as sudden and unannounced as a 
rain would be that comes without gathering 
of clouds. It seemed much as if he had 
dropped from the sky and brought some of 
its blue with him. 

He sat on the post, singing his early song. 
Some one has said that he should be called the 
national bird, because he wears the national 

45 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

colors, — red, white, and blue. The red is a 
little dull, like the red in an old flag, but this 
only strengthens the claim that is made for 
his national characteristics. 

And surely he has the color of the red earth 
on his breast, and the color of the blue heavens 
on his back, and between the two colors he 
wears the white of the clouds that hover be- 
tween these two. In him the heavenly and 
the earthly meet and are friends, not alone in 
the colors he wears, but in the faultless nature 
of the bird himself. And so both color and 
character in him betoken that between heaven 
and earth peace has teen proclaimed, good- 
will toward men. 

Many careful observers all agree that blue- 
birds never utter a harsh, unpleasant note. 
Even when they are driven to defend their 
rights, they do not scold and seem to get into 
a fury, as do the wrens and the sparrows. 
There is a gentleness about them always that 
is indescribable, as well as being something 
of an example to humanity itself. 

The arrival of the bluebirds is a certain 
token of the spring. Soon the plow will be 

46 



TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 

turning furrows in the fields; and in a little 
time the fruit trees will be a perfect show of 
blossoms, and the air be filled with perfume. 

The first time you see him will probably 
be in March or the first of April. He has 
come from the southland and the far-away 
islands of the Indies. 

John Burroughs, with his fine imagination, 
thinks he hears the bluebird crying in the 
early spring, ^^ Bermuda! Bermuda! Ber- 
muda!" and we know that the mild climate 
of spring, like that of Bermuda, is about to 
break the hard, long reign of Winter. 

First came Mr. Bluebird, like a hardy 
pioneer, a week or two in advance of Mrs. 
Bluebird. By the time she arrived, the 
ground was being turned in the garden as fast 
as a spade and a strong back could do it. 

Mr. Bluebird was very devoted to his mate. 
There never was a happier or more faithful 
husband than he. He followed her wher- 
ever she went, her constant attendant. He 
sang to her, he sang for her; he always was 
demonstrative, sometimes almost hilarious, 
in his joy. 

47 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

She seemed more businesslike, acting as 
if she had very serious work to do. He might 
live on love if he chose, but she had v^ork to 
do, and was certainly going about it. He 
might look at the sky and sing; she must look 
around for a house, and build her nest 

And soon one fine morning a rival ap- 
peared. Mr. Bluebird left his wife at once, 
and went after the intruder in a hurry. He 
chased him from place to place, reproving, 
rebuking the while, and always driving him 
farther away. Then feeling that he had done 
the work well and taught his enemy a good 
lesson, he came back and sang the triumphs 
of the moment and the transports of his joy. 

For the first few days of their honeymoon, 
his affectionate attentions to his wife were 
constant and very marked. He seemed to 
think that he must even feed her, and one 
might easily imagine that his song, as well as 
his attentions, became somewhat tiresome to 
her at length. Anyway, she turned his ener- 
gies to the matter of finding a nesting-place. 

He soon adjusted himself to the new prop- 
osition, and led the way by examining the 
dove-house in the peak of the barn. He went 

48 



TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 

in through one of the many entrances, came 
out, and talked to his wife about it. She 
seemed to get enough interested in the matter 
to enter and look the place over. Coming 
out, they had another council. She seemed 
to find some objections, he seemed to hesitate, 
and wanted a minute in which to think it 
over. Then he went inside again, and soon 
came out. They talked the matter over again. 
She had to enter and make another examina- 
tion. 

She seemed to yield rather reluctantly. 
They began as if to build the nest. She gath- 
ered a few grasses. Then she flew away, as 
much as to say, '^ I don't like it at all." He 
coaxed, sang, and coaxed some more, but she 
was determined. Finally he let her have her 
way, and they hunted as before. 

A new place attracted his attentions. Be- 
tween the roof of the kitchen and the sloping 
eaves of the upright part of the house was 
a rain-trough. Mr. Bluebird peered in here, 
and the place looked very promising to him.. 
He called to Mrs. Bluebird. She had been 
sunning herself on the roof of the shed, but 
she came forthwith. 

4 49 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

He showed her the place under the eaves; 
but when he came out this time, two English 
sparrows came out close behind him. They 
had blood in their eyes. They were intensely 
enraged at the intrusion of Mr. Bluebird. 
They went at him in a way that started the 
feathers. Mrs. Bluebird tried to explain, but 
they answered by tearing her feathers. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird sought to stay 
the wrath of the fighters ; they tried to explain, 
to apologize, but there was no chance for any- 
thing of the sort. Several more sparrows ap- 
peared around the corner, and they promptly 
joined the fray. The bluebirds realized now, 
if they had not before, that it was time for 
them to leave, and leave they did, in precipi- 
tate, headlong flight. 

They settled down on a far-away fence to 
dress wounds and rearrange toilets. It was 
a hard world, — a hard world for bluebirds. 
But half an hour afterward Mr. Bluebird was 
lifting his wings and quavering, ^' Cheerily, 
cheerily." And when his wife made a re- 
mark or two, he showed his appreciation and 
concord by replying, '' Tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly." 



TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 

It seems that Mr. Bluebird was a trifle dis- 
couraged by this time in the matter of hunt- 
ing house sites, and declined in honor of his 
wife. A little later he was singing in glee 
from the peak of the shed. She had found a 
knot hole in the side of the shed; it led in 
between the sheathing and gave them a sung 
place for a home; but they would never be 
able to live there — the shed was the home 
of a colony of rats. The birds gave up this 
place inside of three days. 

By this time the man was interested. The 
first spare time he had, he built a box, put it 
on a pole, fastened a collar of tin about the 
pole to keep down prowling cats, and set the 
thing in the garden, among the blackberry 
vines. 

The very next day Mr. Bluebird was sing- 
ing out the raptures of his heart, while his 
wife was busy, going back and forth, arrang- 
ing her nest. He never sat still very long at 
a time. He was Mrs. Bluebird's constant 
attendant. Always a little distance ahead of 
her, he led the way while she gathered the 
material. He carried not so much as a straw 

51 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

for her. Like the Indian's squaw, she did 
all the work. He sang and acted as her guard 
and policeman. 

She would enter the box and arrange her 
material in the nest. Then she would with- 
draw, and wait for him to go in and inspect 
her work. He would soon come out and ex- 
claim most encouragingly, '' Excellent, ex- 
cellent! Tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly! " 

Thus encouraged, she would start for new 
material, he flying out in advance of her to see 
that no harm came to her, and to brave all 
the dangers himself. In due time they had 
their nest of soft grass all completed, and soon 
four eggs appeared. 

About this time Mr. Bluebird seemed to 
put on a little extra by way of singing. He 
seemed to be wonderfully proud of the little 
blue mate and her eggs, and guarded them 
most faithfully and tenderly. He was for- 
ever on the watch for grasshoppers in the 
grass, crickets, and even caterpillars, with 
some grubs, if the gardener's spade happened 
to turn them out; and, further, he was glad 
to get a little dessert for himself and wife in 

52 




KINGFISHER 



TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 

the form of a few berries from the neighbor- 
ing thickets. 

He certainly kept her well supplied; 
nevertheless, she left the nest at intervals for 
a short time, possibly for a rest or a change of 
air, or to get some food more directly to her 
liking. They seemed to have no trouble from 
their enemies. 

Mr. Burroughs tells us that one of their 
worst foes is the snake. He knew of a boy 
who was in the habit of putting his hand 
down into the nest and taking out the mother 
whenever he came that way. One day he put 
his hand in, and feeling something peculiar, 
withdrew it hastily, when out popped the 
head and neck of an enormous black snake. 
The boy took to his heels and the snake 
gave chase, pressing close upon him until a 
plowman near by came to the rescue with 
his ox-whip. 

Neither the squirrels nor the cats could 
reach the nest, because of that inverted collar 
of tin about two-thirds of the way up the 
pole. More than once the man saw the cat 
attempt it, but it was a vain performance. 

55 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The days of brooding went on, and in due 
course of time there were four young blue- 
birds in the nest to be fed and cared for. Mr. 
Bluebird did not have so much time now in 
which to sing and take sun-baths. Those little 
mouths were ever open, clamoring for food. 

The man more than once helped to find 
grubs for the old birds, and they certainly ap- 
preciated it, for it was a large task to keep 
the little birds supplied with all the food 
they needed and called for. From the time 
they hatch they have but about two weeks in 
which to get their growth and leave the old 
home. It is a short time for even birds to 
grow from babies to grown-up children, and 
everything about them that has to do with 
making bone, muscles, feathers, and the rest 
must work overtime and at a heavy pressure. 

It is no wonder the little creatures are for- 
ever clamoring for something to eat, and it 
is nothing strange that the old birds have to 
get hundreds and hundreds of insects, worms, 
berries, and other equally appetizing things, 
in order to satisfy the little bird manufac- 
tories. 

56 



TROUBLES IN HOUSEKEEPING 

And when the young are able to fly, the old 
birds coax them to leave the nest if they seem 
at all disposed to remain. They fly near the 
young birds, holding out to them something 
to eat, and the little fellows have to follow 
after or else go hungry. Thus they are taught 
to leave the nest and learn to fly. 

No bird is any more interesting to study 
and get acquainted with than is the bluebird. 
If you have not as yet learned to know and 
love him, you should set about doing so at 
once. In the chapter on Invitations to the 
Birds, you will find instructions how to do 
this. 

Concerning the sweet disposition of the 
bluebird, John Burroughs writes as follows: 
" He warbles and lifts his wings beseechingly, 
but shows no anger or disposition to scold 
and complain like most birds. Indeed, this 
bird seems incapable of uttering a harsh 
note, or of doing a spiteful, ill-tempered 
thing." 

And another writer and authority on birds 
says: '' He is my favorite bird; and while I 
am writing of him, a pet one, but three 

57 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

months old, is sitting on my paper, seeming 
to wonder what I am doing, and why I do not 
play with him. He nips my pencil, but I 
pay no attention to him; then he tries to crawl 
up my sleeve, and still I pay no attention to 
him; so, disgusted, he flies off to search for 
ants or other small insects. 
- ''After a time I raise my hand and call; 
back he comes like a flash, and hovering more 
like a large moth than a bird, he perches on 
my fingers, singing at the same time a soft 
little song that is his method of speech. Hav- 
ing a bird that is so thoroughly companion- 
able, makes me regard all bluebirds with the 
greatest possible affection." 

To see him lift his dainty wings and say, 
'' Tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly," is certainly enough to 
captivate anybody. His gentleness makes him 
great. 



58 



FIRST NEIGHBORS 




IV 

FIRST NEIGHBORS 

The man's health had failed, and the doc- 
tors had advised him to live more out of 
doors. That is how he came to have a gar- 
den. He found a place that a friend of his 
was willing to sell at a fair price, and he was 
soon at work with the soil. 

The buds were just beginning to swell on 
the silver-leaf maples when he began. He 
spaded in the garden every morning, work- 
ing as long each day as his strength would 
permit. In a week or two he could work as 
long and as hard as he pleased. 

When the ground was all spaded, hoed, 
and raked smooth, he planted it to potatoes, 
corn, peas, beans, and other good things that 
fairly made his mouth water to think about. 

One day, not long after the man had begun 
his work in the garden, he saw a man and a 
boy out by the curbing, throwing broken 
bricks at a bird's nest. Just as he caught sight 

6i 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

of them, a brick hit the nest, and the young 
birds fairly screeched with pain or fright. 
It was the nest of an oriole, and it hung in 
plain sight from the boulevard. 

'' What are you throwing at? " asked the 
man. 

'' I'm throwing at that wild canary-bird's 
nest," answered the offender. 

^' Well, that's pretty business for an over- 
grown boy like you," replied the man. ^' You 
had better be at more likely work, I am think- 

ing." 

The man with the broken brick made no 
remark by way of answer to this, so there 
was silence for a minute. 

" Possibly you did not know it," continued 
the man, ^^ but we have a law in Illinois that 
protects song-birds and their nests. And 
law or no law, I never want to see you throw- 
ing bricks at birds again." 

'^ I meant no harm," said the brick-thrower. 

" You did mean harm to the birds, and 
there is no denying it; but you are doing more 
harm than you can ever repair. The birds 
are of the most useful creatures we have, and 

62 



FIRST NEIGHBORS 

the cats and the squirrels and the hawks get 
away with enough of them without any help 
from thoughtless men. I have known of 
boys who robbed birds' nests, but I never 
heard of a man doing it in this fashion be- 
fore. Leave the bricks to the bricklayer, and 
the young birds to their parents, and the 
world will be the better for it. If you can't 
do any good, at least don't do any harm." 

Well, the man never saw the brick-thrower 
doing any more mischief after that. It was 
a strange thing for a full-grown man to do, 
and he deserved a rebuke. 

That night the man found one of the young 
orioles in the grass. The brick-thrower had 
called it a wild canary, but that showed how 
little he knew about birds. It was a young 
Baltimore oriole. 

But O, such a cry-baby. It cried almost 
incessantly, and it was because of the crying 
that the man discovered it, all hidden in the 
grass. 

He took it into the house and gave it a 
place of comfort, while he looked in a book 
to see what food little orioles like to eat. 

63 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The book said that wild mulberries are the 
oriole's favorite food, and as there was a large 
tree in the garden full of mulberries, it didn't 
take the man very long to get as many as the 
little fellow would eat. 

The young oriole stopped crying long 
enough to eat some of the berries and then 
promptly went to crying again. The book 
said that the little orioles are the cry-babies 
of the bird world. This little oriole was cer- 
tainly keeping up the reputation of his fam- 
ily He pleaded incessantly. 

The man put him in the front room, and 
fixed the blinds so that he could not get out, 
yet so that the parents could reach him. They 
brought him food and poked it through the 
spaces in the blinds. 

Several times during the night the man 
heard the litle cry-baby, and in the morning 
found him quite lively. He evidently had 
had breakfast already, for he refused to eat 
what the man brought to him. 

All through the day he cried considerably; 
but that night, for some reason, he became 
entirely quiet. When the man listened the 

64 



FIRST NEIGHBORS 

next morning, he heard no sound from the 
little cry-baby. The silence seemed strange. 

Going to the room, he found the poor 
creature stiff in death. Then he remembered 
about the brick-thrower and the piece of brick 
that struck the nest; he recalled, as well, the 
shrill cry that had come from the little birds. 

Doubtless the little bird had been injured, 
and this was why he had cried so much. Per- 
haps he had been hurt internally; there 
seemed no other way to account for his death. 

The man felt pretty bad about it. He took 
the little dead thing out into the garden, 
made a grave, and buried it there. 

It was not very long after that when he 
found a young blue jay. He would not have 
known that the jay was anywhere about but 
for the foolishness of the old birds. 

You know that fathers and mothers, es- 
pecially young fathers and mothers, often 
think that their babies are just a trifle dif- 
ferent from any other babies in all the world. 
Blue jays seem to feel about the same with 
reference to their babies. 

The man was going down the garden walk 

5 65 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

when one of the old jays shot straight at his 
face. He saw the old jay coming straight at 
him, like an Indian on the war-path, and 
dodged to avoid the onslaught. This seemed 
partly to frighten the jay; for he flew to an 
adjacent limb and hammered at that, while 
he screeched out his wrath. 

The man had seen jays act like that before, 
and knew what it meant. He began at once 
to look all about for the young jay which he 
knew was the cause of this anxiety of the old 
birds. As soon as he began his search, the 
trouble broke out anew. The old jays darted 
at him with a vengeance, and flew here and 
there, and screeched and screeched as only 
jays can. It kept the man busy to protect his 
eyes. 

And then soon at his feet there was a flut- 
ter and a screech — it was the young jay. 

If you have never seen one of them just out 
of the nest, you have missed a comical sight. 
Its feathers were not all grown, and it looked 
as if its clothes were a decided misfit. 

If the young jay had seen the funny side 
of things, it might have made quite a suc- 

66 



FIRST NEIGHBORS 



cess as a clown, but it took things altogether 
too seriously for that. 

The man carried the young jay into the 
house, and as it was supper time, let it sit on 
a chair opposite, while he ate his supper. It 
made such a com- 
ical sight that the 
man laughed until 
the tears rolled 
down his cheeks. 

The jay, how- 
ever, did not seem 
to enjoy the show a 
particle. It looked 
as if it was packed 
full of the sulks. 
It sat and watched the man, the very picture 
of slumbering wrath. But the young bird 
was such a caricature on a bird that the man 
laughed and laughed until the bird refused 
to be a show any longer. 

It uttered a screech, and flew against the 
window. This seemed to sober it somewhat, 
by knocking a little sense in and some of its 
wrath out. 

67 




MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

It fluttered so at the window that the man 
took it in his hand, but it screeched and 
struggled so hard it seemed best to let it go. 
The man was pretty certain he could find it 
again in the morning. In this he was badly 
mistaken. 

He hunted several times during the next 
day for the little jay. He knew more than 
once, by the conduct of the old jays, that he 
was near the little blue creature; but plainly 
it had learned meanwhile to lie low and keep 
out of sight. 

Later on, when its feathers were grown, it 
could fly so far and so fast that it was useless 
to chase after it. In a little while it could 
hardly be told from the rest of its kinsmen. 

The man had no means of knowing whether 
it was this same jay that happened around 
one day considerably later, but it looked and 
acted just like him, at any rate. 

The sparrows had some nests in the tin 
gutter under the eaves of a roof not far away. 
They were sitting on a roof and the edge of 
the eaves, when suddenly they went sailing in 
every direction. 

68 



FIRST NEIGHBORS 

Of course, the man was considerably sur- 
prised at their sudden and unexpected de- 
parture, but it was all soon fully explained. 
Mr. Blue Jay came sailing down, uttering 
blood-curdling screeches with every flap of 
his wings. He landed on that tin gutter, and 
screeched and pawed until the straw and the 
nests were piled in unutterable ruin. He 
raked the straw first in one direction and then 
in another, and heaped much of it out onto 
the ground. 

The sparrows hid away in utter fright. 
They did not so much as sound a peep. The 
blue jay acted as, no doubt, you have seen 
human bullies act. 

He dared any sparrow or all the sparrows. 
He offered to fight single or double, or all 
of them at once. He brandished beak and 
talons, and flirted his tail for emphasis. He 
shrieked and screeched, and dared and 
double-dared, until he seemed satisfied that 
no one contested his prowess. Then he sailed 
serenely to an elm, laughed in disdain at the 
sparrows, and was gone. 

The intimidated sparrows came slowly 

69 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

back, a few at a time, hesitating and fearsome. 
But when they found that the danger had 




really passed, they sat and chattered as be- 
fore, then proceeded to repair the nests. 

• 70 



UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORS 



wi^ 










UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORS 

To the lover of nature, May is a glorious 
month. The earth has been renewed, and 
everything is in its brightest dress. The air 
is soft and balmy, the whole earth is fresh in 
its tender green, and there is a delightful 
perfume everywhere. 

The man always has his garden planted by 
this time, and it is a pleasure to see how the 
plants are pushing along. The potatoes are 
thrifty and green and beginning to blossom, 
thereby telling us that the '^ spuds " are form- 
ing down under the ground. The pea-vines 
are white, that is, some of them, and we are 
thinking of the new peas and new potatoes 
the man will have ready before long. 

It is a great thing to have a garden; but, 
if you can not have one of your own, the 
next best thing is to find somebody who has 
one, and who will invite you to enjoy with 
him some of the good things that grow in it. 

And while the garden is making such fine 

73 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



progress, we see that the grasses and weeds are 
making good headway, too; and so we are 
reminded that Satan comes also. But both 
he and the weeds must be circumvented. It 














does not do to sit down and let the bad things 
get the upper hand. 

Some of the weeds have redeeming aspects, 
as, witness the golden glory of the dandelion. 
Some people would not regard the blue vio- 
let as a weed, but the man finds that the vio- 

74 



UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORS 

lets will interfere considerably with some of 
the things in his garden if he lets them have 
their own way; so he has to hoe and pull them 
up whenever they get in the way. Even then 
there are plenty of the plants left in corners 
and out-of-the-way places to help make the 
garden interesting. 

Did you ever get real well acquainted 
with some of the weeds? Though undesir- 
able, many of them are quite interesting 
neighbors, if you once learn the heart-secrets 
of their peculiar lives. We all have these 
queer neighbors, and I advise you to call on 
them if you have not yet done so. 

Now, there is the ground mallow. Notice 
how it hugs the earth in places where the 
lawn mower often runs. It seems to know it 
must keep down close to the ground or ifwill 
get its head cut off. 

But if it happens to live among tall weeds 
and grasses, it grows out a long stem and 
pushes its round leaves away up above the 
crowd, so as to get its share of sunlight. Like 
Zaccheus, who was short of stature, and 
climbed a tree to see, over the heads of the 

75 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

crowd, the Christ who came that way, the 
mallow grows a step-ladder and climbs out 
into the air and the light. 
And then there is that pest of lawn and 




garden, the plantain. There are a number 
of dififerent kinds, but all of them are much 
alike. The plantain adapts itself with ease 
to various and varied surroundings. Like 
the mallow, if it grows in the uncut grass 

76 



UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORS 

and weeds, the stem elongates, pushing the 
leaves high enough to get the sun and rain 
necessary for life. If it happens to grow on 
a closely cut lawn, its leaves hug the ground; 
and if the seed-stalk is repeatedly cut off, the 
plant puts up successively shorter ones, and, 
sooner or later, if not uprooted, produces a 
regular harvest of seed. 

Notice, too, the broad leaves of the plan- 
tain; but broad and crinkled as they often 
are, their surfaces slope toward the midrib. 
And the stalk of the leaf is made for all the 
world like a rain-trough. So, you see, if a 
drop of dew or rain falls upon the leaves, it 
stands a good chance to roll down to the 
middle of the leaf, follow along the hollow 
of the leaf and its rain-trough stem, and thus 
reach the ground quite close to the root, there 
to freshen and strengthen the plant. 

And if the weather is unusually dry, the 
leaves of the plantain become very much 
crinkled and twisted, so as to prevent the loss 
of water through the leaves as far as is possi- 
ble. Thus the plantain lives and thrives 
when other plants shrivel up in the dry, hot 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 




^ d a y s of midsummer. 
It can grow and bear 
seed in the hardest, 
driest spots you may 
come across. It needs 
but very little fertility, 
and the man can show 
you some of it growing 
in the coal cinders of 
his beaten driveway. 

Did you ever exam- 
ine the seeds of the 
dandelion? They have 
a plumy balloon at 
one end, or perhaps I 
should call it a para- 
chute ; and there is a 
set of barbs or grap- 
ling irons at the other 
end. Carried by the 
wind, it floats through 
the air, parachute end 
up, and when it hits 
the grass or leaves, its 
barbs or grappling 

78 



UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORS 

irons take hold, and so it grips and stays until 
it gets a turn into the dirt itself. No won- 
der there are so many dandelions in the 
world. 




Now again, there is the thistle. It has 
a pretty pink top, and its forms have been 
woven by artists into many pictorial designs. 
The thistle is the Scottish national emblem, 
and is often worn by the patriotic. Some Scot- 
tish thistles are really beautiful. 

79 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

But thistles in gardens, no matter how ar- 
tistic, are hardly quite the thing. There is 
very little trouble in the man's garden from 
the inroads of thistles. Now and then one 
starts up and has to be dealt with. 

When the pretty pink or blue flower, or 
really flowers — for each head is made up 
of dozens of blossoms — I say, when the head 
ripens, it produces a lot of fluffy, feathery 
seeds. They sail away as gaily as so many 
birds, floating ofi on the summer w^inds to 
find more room in the wide, wide world be- 
yond. 

They are certainly adapted to increase 
rapidly, and in some places, if not dealt with 
energetically, become quite a menace. But 
labor conquers all things, even thistles. 

I have never counted the number of seeds 
in a single thistle top, but I think there must 
be an exceeding great number. I think it 
would be an interesting task to count them, 
once a body had the time. 

The man says that, if you take the trouble, 
you will find thousands of seeds in a single 
weed. He has counted over one thousand 

80 



UNDESIRABLE NEIGHBORS 

seeds in a single pod of the trumpet creeper. 
He has counted twenty thousand seeds on a 
single wild parsnip, and six thousand seeds 
on a little sow thistle, not two feet high ; and 
three hundred and sixty thousand seeds on 
a mullen, and about seventy thousand seeds 
on a small white verbena. 

The weeds have no gardener to make beds 
for them and to plant their seeds, so they have 
to produce an excessive quantity of seed 
whereby to offset all losses and still leave 
enough seeds to produce the weeds of another 
summer. 

The Power over nature has determined 
that there shall be weeds, and we see the per- 
sistency of the Almighty Will in the wonder- 
ful means of seed sowing with which these 
common plants have been endowed. 

And therefore the persistency of the weeds 
is, after all, only the persistency of that Al- 
mighty Will over nature which has deter- 
mined their continued existence. And man, 
no matter how he strive or invent, will never 
fully defeat that Will in a complete de- 
struction of all weeds. 
6 8i 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

But weeds or no weeds, the man keeps hard 
at work and brings his crops to perfection. 
Though they hinder, they can not prevent. 
The weeds are persistent, but the man is also 
persistent, and he finds ways of outwitting 
them to a large extent. He says that they are 
garden neighbors of his that he would like 
to be rid of. 

But he also says that possibly the weeds do 
more good in making changes in the soil than 
we think for, especially if we hoe them up 
and let them die and enrich the soil. It seems 
that there is hardly anything in this world 
that is all bad. 

But whether the weeds help the soil much 
or nothing, they can surely give us some les- 
sons in persistency and perseverance. And 
they can give us not a few suggestions on the 
matter of adaptability. They put up con- 
tentedly with their lot, make the most of their 
circumstances, and forever keep at it. 

Every man who has a garden is sure to 
have some of the weeds as his neighbors. 



82 



A MORNING LECTURE 



-=;¥;f 




VI 

A MORNING LECTURE 

One pleasant morning in early spring the 
man was strolling along the shore of a pond 
when his steps were arrested by the loud 
boom of a frog. He soon caught sight of the 
pond dweller just a short distance away. 

^'Boof! boof!" said the frog again, and 
swelled himself out with some importance. 

It looked to the man much like a chal- 
lenge, and so he responded. 

'' Ho, you are making a great fuss this 
morning, aren't you?'' said the man. ^^ One 
would think from your noise and actions that 
you have a huge idea of your own impor- 
tance, while the fact is that you are only an 
insignificant frog." 

'^ Insignificant! " it seemed to him the frog 
replied. '' Insignificant, indeed! I am not so 
insignificant as you might think. I have my 
place and fill it." 

Again he swelled himself out and boomed 
as loudly as before. 

85 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

" Doubtless you fill your place," the man 
thought in reply. " You can swell out big 
enough to fill twice as much space as one 
would think a frog would occupy." 

But the frog did not notice this sarcasm; 
he went on with his sermon, for sermon it 
seemed to be. 

^' Yes," the frog apparently said, " I have 
my place and fill it; I know my place and 
keep it; and that, you will admit, is consid- 
erable. Now, I have experienced the value 
of little things in a way that I think you 
never did, though you think yourself so much 
greater than I. I was once but a little slimy 
tgg, floating about in the water, and the real 
part of me was not much bigger than the 
point of a pin. I think I was rather insig- 
nificant then." At this remark the frog 
swelled out as large as he could well do. 

^' After a while I became a tadpole, and 
wriggled about in the water. I had plenty of 
enemies, you may be sure, but I was always 
on my guard. I couldn't do very much, but 
when anything made a lunge at me, I could 
beat the world at wriggling, and I always 
got away. 

86 






^^tTI^^^H?^^^'^^ 







AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, OR THISTLE BIRD 



A MORNING LECTURE 

" Those days I lived under the water most 
of the time, and breathed water through my 
gills like a fish. But after a time I lost my 
gills, lost my tail, got four good legs, and 
finally became a frog, growing to be what I 
am now. 

''Boof! boof! I couldn't make a sound 
when I was a tadpole, but I can sing now. I 
think I am a pretty big fellow to come from 
nothing but a pin point, and I make even 
more noise than my size would indicate. 
And so I can say a few things out of my ex- 
perience on the value of little things that 
some others can't; therefore, I contend that 
I have a place in this big world of a pond." 

The man was about to go on, feeling that 
the frog had something the best of the situa- 
tion, when he discovered that the frog ap- 
parently had not finished. 

'' But that is not the most important thing 
I can say to you this morning," continued the 
frog. ^^ There is something I can point to 
in my life, that, perhaps, you can't. I always 
live strictly in harmony with the great laws 
of my life; do you do that? " 

89 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The man could not say that he did; for in- 
stantly he thought of many things wherein 
he had violated the great laws of his being; 
therefore, he kept silent rather than confess 
that he did not do what a frog always does. 

'^ For instance," said the frog, " when I 
was a tadpole, and had gills and a tail, I 
didn't try to live out in the air. Those days 
I never craw^led out onto the bank, because 
I was made to live under water; for me to 
get out of the water, as I can now, would have 
been the death of me. If I had wriggled out 
onto the bank, I fear I would never have 
wriggled back again. I didn't try to be a 
frog until I really was one. 

" And now that I am a frog, I never try 
to be a tadpole. If I should stay under water 
very long, I should surely drown. If I 
should undertake to live now as I lived 
then, it would be my death. If there is 
anything that is absurd in this world, it is 
trying to be something that you simply can 
not be. I live according to the great laws 
of my life. I have my place, and fill it; I 
know my place, and keep it; do you? " 

90 



A MORNING LECTURE 

But the frog did not wait for an answer. 

" Boof ! boof ! " he said, and dived into the 
water. 

He had seen a boy coming along the 
farther side of the pond; he had doubtless 
had an experience with boys, and so, true to 




the great laws of his life, he hid away. He 
knew his place and found it. 

As the man walked away, he was thought- 
ful. He realized as never before that every 
creature of the world has some lesson which, 
in its own peculiar way, it can teach us. 

The man realized that the frog had learned 
to do what as yet he had not attained to. The 

91 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

frog lived according to the great laws of his 
life. If a man should do that, how much it 
would mean. True to the laws of his body — 
that would mean health. True to the laws of 
his mind — that would mean mental vigor. 
True to the laws of his soul — that would 
mean sound character. 

And all of this together would mean al- 
ways and forever life, life, life. And what 
is that but eternity? 

The man fears that it will be some time 
before he can do what the frog does; and 
until he can, he has determined never again 
to call the frog insignificant. 



92 



A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 




VII 
A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 

It was the month of June. The man had 
been at work in his garden. He did not care 
to work, however, for the weather was warm 
and delightful. He sat down to rest, or per- 
haps it was because he was getting lazy. 

H!e was hardly seated when something on 
the ground near his feet attracted his atten- 
tion. 

Have you ever seen a pair of tumble-bugs? 
If so, you have seen one of nature's funny 
spectacles. They are odd things, these strange 
little beetles, and two of them had now at- 
tracted the man's attention. 

We have inferred that the man was get- 
ting lazy. It looked that way now more than 
ever, for he just sat there and watched those 
funny beetles. They had a ball, and one of 
them was riding on top of the ball, and the 
other was standing pretty nearly on his head; 
at any rate, he stood on his front feet, his 

95 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

hind feet kicking up in the air against the 
ball to make it roll ; and when he kicked, the 
one on top of the ball leaned away over to 
help make it roll along. 

If 3^ou had been near the man. you would 
have heard him talking to the bugs. 

''Well, you are a nice set, aren't you?" 
said the man. " Out here in my garden, 
kicking a ball of dirt around by way of 
exercise. 

'' Do you know from what heights you 
have fallen in the eyes of men? — I suppose 
not, and probably you don't care, so long 
as you can kick that precious ball of dirt 
around. Nevertheless, you have fallen from 
a pretty high estate, I can tell you. These 
days you are mighty insignificant in the eyes 
of men. Once you were a sacred bug and 
something of a god; your name then, I be- 
lieve, was scarabaeus, or something like that." 

The man said this to the bugs, because 
tumble-bugs were once thought a great deal 
of in Egypt, some hundreds of years ago. 
Why yes, a little image of the tumble-bug 
was owned by each king of Egypt, and was 

96' 



A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 

called his seal. All the government papers 
and kings' orders and laws had to be stamped 
with the image of this bug or they were not 
considered any good. 

Our government puts a seal on all its gov- 
ernment papers; but it never has the picture 
of a tumble-bug on any of its seals, that is 
sure. I believe some of our government seals 
do have the picture of an eagle on them, and 
pictures of farmers or soldiers, and even 
of a house ; but none of them I know of have 
on them the picture of a bug. 

But the Egyptians not only had this image 
of the tumble-bug for their government seal 
and stamp; they also carved images of the 
bug on the solid rocks, or painted pictures 
of him on the papyrus, or Egyptian paper. 

And in these days men dig down into the 
earth in that far-away land, and in those old 
crumbling buildings they find in almost any 
and every sort of place, pictures and images 
of the beetle. In many of those old dun- 
geons they find the form of the bug carved 
in the rocks, standing there even yet in bold 
relief. In other places they find the picture 

97 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

of the bug painted in the most beautiful 
colors, that appear to-day as clear and fresh 
apparentl}^ as when first painted — three 
thousand years ago. 

Again, on the mummy cases and the sar- 
cophagi, or Egyptian coffins, on beautiful and 
precious stones buried with them, and inside 
the wrappings of the mummies themselves, 
they find pictures and other representations 
of the tumble-bug. 

Of course they did not call him tumble- 
bug then; they called him the sacred scar- 
abaeus. 

The Egyptians seem like a very strange 
people to us. They thought a great many 
common things were holy or sacred. They 
thought the river Nile was sacred, and wor- 
shipped it as the representative of a god. 
They thought the ox was sacred, and kept 
some of them in their temples. And among 
the other things they venerated, were the 
funny tumble-bugs; and the tumble-bugs, it 
seems, were the most sacred things of all. 

Strange, w^as it not? It seems almost as 
odd as the tumble-bug himself. But that is 

98 




BROWN CREEPER 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

not all of the story concerning Egypt and the 
tumble-bugs. 

The people of Egypt wore the image of 
the beetle in their rings and necklaces. They 
counted the number of the tumble-bug's toes 
and found there were thirty; they thought 
these thirty toes of the tumble-bug repre- 
sented the days of their months, which were 
also thirty. 

When the tumble-bug rolled its ball, they 
said that represented the motion of the sun 
on the earth. They also thought the bug 
represented life. And they worshipped the 
tumble-bug as long as it lived, and embalmed 
it, so as to keep it, when it died. 

They were surely a queer people to think 
that way about bugs. But the bug is queer, 
too; and so it was queer bugs and queer peo- 
ple all together. 

But we must not forget the man, sitting out 
there in the garden, watching the strange 
little tumble-bugs. He sat there and watched 
those bugs for a long time. He must have 
been a trifle queer, too; don't you think so? 

" There you are," said the man, ^' up 

lOI 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

against a bump. Kick a little harder, old 
man; kick a little harder. That's right. 
Now over it goes." 

But Mr. Tumble-bug kicked too hard just 
then; for as soon as the ball went over the 
bump, away it rolled down a little incline. 
Mrs. Tumble-bug went rolling with it. She 
never let go her hold on the ball, though; 
no, indeed, not for a minute. Why should 
she? She was on top of the ball half of the 
time anyway. When the ball stopped, she 
quickly climbed into place again, and se- 
renely waited for Mr. Tumble-bug. She 
would not have to wait for him very long, for 
he was coming on the run as fast as all his 
legs could carry him. 

He did not even stop for breath. He sim- 
ply got right down into line again, and with 
his solid kicking and her leaning her weight 
far over on the other side, the ball was im- 
mediately rolling again. 

'' Why don't you dig your hole and bury 
the ball right there?" asked the man. '^ It's 
as good a place as you will find in this garden. 
You will find the dirt fine and soft, for I have 

1 02 



A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 

been digging it all up with the fork myself, 
and you can make quick work of it." 

Of course the bugs did not pay any at- 
tention to the man. They neither understood 
nor cared what he said. The ground might 
be all right, but they had not as yet had 
enough exercise, and did not propose to stop. 
Mr. Bug kept right on with his vigorous 
kicking, and Mrs. Bug leaned over and 
helped roll the ball with all her weight. 

''Oh-ho! And what will you do now?" 
asked the man. 

The ball had rolled up against an ob- 
stacle which neither Mr. Tumble-bug's kick 
nor Mrs. Tumble-bug's pull could overcome. 
Kick, push, or pull, the ball would not budge. 

^^ Take a rest and try again," suggested the 
man. 

But the bugs did not rest. They were 
lively and excited, and seemed to talk to each 
other. Mrs. Tumble-bug seemed to under- 
stand what her husband wanted, for she 
quickly got down, and joined him. 

Down under that stubborn ball they both 
put their shovel-like heads, gave it a push 

103 



A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 



and a pry, and over it went, rolling into the 
short grass. Quickly they had the ball again, 




Mrs. Bog on the front seat, Mr. Bug pushing 
behind, and so the ball was kept rolling. 

" Well, you beat anything I ever saw," said 
the man at last. " I don't think this is a case 

104 



A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 

of brains at all, but just a sure case of kick- 
till-you-get-tired." 

It seemed as if the man might be about 
right. When the bugs had a fine chance to 
roll the ball down hill and have an easy time, 
they chose to roll it up hill and have a hard 
time. And when they came to places that 
seemed perfectly suitable for burying the 
ball, they did not attempt to bury the ball at 
all, but kept it straight on, rolling it as lively 
as ever. And so the man began to think that 
Mr. Tumble-bug was going to kick until he 
got tired. 

But perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Tumble-bug 
knew more about their own business than the 
man did. Perhaps they have a way of know- 
ing where the ground is all right and where 
it is not. And perhaps the man thinks he 
knows better than the bugs, but really does 
not. Perhaps the bugs did not bury the ball 
in the soft ground where the man had been 
digging, because something told them that 
it had been dug up and might be dug up 
again, and their precious ball along with it. 
Who knows? I do not. 

105 



MY GAPvDEN NEIGHBORS 

Anyway, the bugs did not pay the least bit 
of attention to what the man said, but kicked 
and pulled that ball of theirs to suit them- 
selves. 

Inside of that ball was an tgg, all wrapped 
up safe and snug. And in that ball was 
enough food to keep the baby bug for some- 
time after he hatched out. And that ball was 
made in such a way that it would be warm 
for a long time and keep the egg warm until 
it hatched. Men think they invented incu- 
bators, but tumble-bugs used incubators a 
long time, thousand of years, before men did. 
And gardeners think they are wise, because 
they can make hot-beds that keep plants 
warm in the early spring when the weather 
is quite cold; but tumble-bugs have used their 
little hot-bed of an egg-ball for ages and ages, 
and I think men simply saw how the tumble- 
bug did, and then went and tried the same 
thing to keep plants warm. 

Well, the bugs are pretty careful where 
they bury that ball of theirs, for they do not 
want any harm to come to the egg inside, 
neither to the baby bug when it hatches out. 

1 06 



A VERY ODD NEIGHBOR 

^^And so you have had enough of it, have 
3''ou?" said the man. ''It's about time, I 
think." 

Yes, Mrs. Tumble-bug had at last found 
a place that just suited her, although nobody 
but herself knew why it was any better than 
lots of other places they had passed. 

The ball had stopped rolling. Down 
under it the two bugs were rummaging 
around, poking at the ground, and examining 
it carefully. Everything seemed to be satis- 
factory, and so Mrs. Tumble-bug went to 
work to bury the ball. 

So far, Mr. Bug had been doing all the 
hard work, and Mrs. Bug had been having a 
fine time riding on top of the ball. But after 
this, she did the work and Mr. Bug enjoyed 
himself, doing as he pleased. 

Down under the ball she dug and 
ploughed, with the ball sometimes balanced 
upon her back. Then down she went out of 
sight in loose dirt, but was soon up again. 
Then once more she went down out of sight, 
this time going in upside down, pulling the 
ball in after her. 

107 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

With her hind legs and front legs she 
pushed the dirt up and out, and slowly bug 
and ball sank out of sight into the earth. 

" Well, there you go," said the man. 
'^ Good-by, and good luck to you. May your 
egg hatch in first-class shape. After a while 
I suppose your son or daughter, whichever 
it is, will get out onto the ground, and some 
fine day have a ball of his own to kick or 
ride. I hope so at any rate; I wish you well. 
And here's good-by again and good luck — 
provided you don't get hoed up. 

" Well, there's wife calling me to dinner. 
Here I've lost an hour from my garden, 
watching tumble-bugs. And just look at the 
weeds." 

So saying, the man picked up his hoe and 
walked tow^ard the house. 



1 08 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 




VIII 

A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

It was entirely against the plans of the man 
even to allow a cat on the place, much less to 
have one of his own. But the man's plans, like 
those of mice, have sometimes to give way for 
the cat. It proved true in this case both for the 
man and the mice. 

One day in the late fall the man's sister was 
sweeping the front sidewalk when she noticed 
a little boy on the opposite side of the street. 
He had two little kittens in his arms, and he 
came down to a house nearly opposite* and 
dropped the tw^o kittens over the fence into 
the yard. 

The man's sister saw what the boy had 
done, and noticed the kittens lying on the 
grass inside the neighbor's fence. She went 
at once to where the boy stood. 

'^What are you going to do with them?" 
she asked, as she looked at the tiny kittens. 

" O, we had so many we didn't want these, 
so I throwed 'em away," was his reply. 

Ill 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The woman looked at the two little balls 
of fur. They were certainly attractive-look- 
ing kittens. 

'^ May I have one of them? " 

" I don't keer," said the boy. ^' I don't keer 
who has 'em." 

" Kitty, kitty, nice little kitty." 

One of the kittens thus accosted looked up 
at the woman, meowed, and blinked its eyes. 
The woman smiled, reached down her hand, 
and the kitten came to her at once. It was 
white with dark spots, and its eyes were 
brighter and its face more prepossessing than 
its mate. The woman took it in her arms. 

*^ I believe I'll keep this one," she said. 

The boy stood and watched the woman until 
she had carried the kitten across the street, 
then took a sharp look at the other one in the 
yard, and broke into a lively run away from 
the place. 

Of course, when the man came home that 
night, he found the kitten in the house, and 
his sister all enthusiastic over her great prize. 
The man looked at the creature pretty doubt- 
fully. He thought of when it would get 

112 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

larger and the havoc it might work among 
the birds of the garden. 

But the kitten was such a tiny thing now, 
and his sister was so set upon keeping it, now 
that she had once gotten it, that it was hard 
for the man to refuse ; then, too, the house was 
getting to be overrun with mice, which were 
being driven in from the fields by the cold 
weather. 

If it had been left to the man to bring it 
about, the cat would never have been allowed 
in the house. But now, without any doing 
on the part of the man, the kitten was not 
only in the house, but so bound up in the plans 
and desires of the man's sister that the case 
was a trifle hard to manage. 

It was not long before the fluffy bit of fur 
caught a mouse. It was comparatively a new 
piece of business, for the tiny creature carried 
that mouse with a pride at once charming and 
amusing. Ears erect, body stately, tail on 
dress parade, it marched about the room with 
that mouse, admired and praised by the whole 
household. 

" He has begun pretty young," said the 
8 113 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



man. ^' It looks as if he is going to be death 
on the mice. Perhaps it will be all right to 
keep him. It can't do harm this winter, 
an5rway." 

And so the kitten was given a home. For 
so tiny a creature he truly was death on the 
mice. But he had one trick with the mice he 
caught that went directly against the feelings 
of the man; it seemed so cruel. 

When the little thing had once captured a 
mouse, it would play with the unfortunate 
thing for a half hour, more or less. It was 
sickening to the man to see that poor, man- 
gled, crippled mouse crawl about the room 
and be tossed and chewed just to satisfy the 
whims of a kitten. 

It looked like a blot on creation to see this 
daily exhibition of depravity on the part of 
a seemingly harmless kitten. The man tried 
to philosophize and moral- 
ize, to specialize and gen- 
eralize; he meditated and 
cogitated, and became agi- 
tated. 

Nevertheless, the kitten 
114 




A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 




would still play with the captured mouse, to 
the utter demoralization of the unfortunate 
captive, and to the great per- 
plexity and sorrow of the man. 

At last the man determined 
to stop some of this cruelty of 
the kitten. He had noticed 
that as soon as the mouse was 
really dead, the kitten at once 
proceeded to devour it without 
any further parleying. 

Therefore, one day, weary of the sight, the 
man seized a stick, and, when the cat and 
the mouse were not too badly mixed up for 
him to get at the latter, he delivered a telling 
blow that quickly laid out the mouse. Then 
the kitten, discovering that the mouse was 
dead, at once made a meal of it. 

After having killed one or two of the mice, 
the cat seemed to get a new idea. As soon as 
it had caught a mouse, it would bring the 
thing at once to the man to be killed. Of 
course, it didn't take the man very long to do 
that, and so the torture all ceased after that 
if the man was around. 



115 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The minute the mouse was dead, the kitten 
was ready to eat it; and as the kitten always 
brought the mouse to be killed as soon as cap- 
tured, it looked to the man that the kitten's 
play with the mouse was merely because it 
did not know what else to do with it, not being 
old and vicious enough to kill it in cold blood. 

When the little creature saw a mouse, its 
instincts told it to seize the thing before it 
got away. Then, having seized it, it found 
it had an elephant on its hands, so to speak, 
and did not know what to do with it. If it 
laid the mouse down, the mouse tried to run 
away, and so was seized again. This seemed 
like fun to the kitten. 

The man had seen older and meaner cats 
crush a mouse in cold blood, but the kitten 
never attempted anything of the kind. It pre- 
ferred to let the man do that, for it was a 
gentle creature, except with mice, and with 
even them it was willing to be as gentle as its 
instincts would allow. So, if the man would 
kill the mice, it would bring them to the man 
and the stick as soon as caught. It made 
times lively for the man more than once. 

ii6 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

If the man was not at home, the kitten 
tried the women. Sad to relate, however, the 
women did not encourage this humane con- 
duct of the cat, but grabbed up their skirts, 
gave a yell, and left both cat and mouse in 
indiscriminate haste. 

It was a rather discouraging way to treat 
the trust of a cat. But even women are some- 
times inconsiderate. It is not strange that the 
cat soon ceased to seek the services of the 
women, and patronized only the man, pro- 
vided he was at home. If he was not, why, 
of course, the mouse had to roll around a 
while until some way in the scramble it died. 
Once dead, the kitten — well, enough has 
been said. 

Of course, Kitten-cat, as the man called him, 
had some faults, and had to be corrected once 
in a while. For example, the kitten had a 
habit of going into the sitting-room and get- 
ting up on the sofa pillows. 

There is no doubt that the pillows made a 
nice soft feather-bed for a cat, but it was bad 
for pillows, and soiled the choicest of them 
and mussed them up generally. 

117 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Consequently, the man's sister cuffed Kit- 
ten-cat a few times for getting on the pillows. 
After that he not only stayed ofi the pillows, 
but kept entirely out of the sitting-room. 

It became quite amusing in time to see how 
persistently the kitten avoided this room 
thereafter. The family spent the most of 
their evenings in the sitting-room, and the cat 
would get very lonesom.e staying alone in the 
other rooms. 

When the kitten had stood it as long as he 
possibly could, he would come and sit in the 
doorway and look in at the people. Or, if 
the door was partly open, rather than come 
in the room far enough to peer around the 
door, he would stay in the other room and 
look through the crevice between the door 
and the casing. 

The cat generally obeyed the man as well 
as or better than anybody else; so one evening 
he decided to tempt the cat a little to see if 
it would enter the room. He stooped down in 
the middle of the room, held out one hand, 
and coaxed the kitten to come. It was a great 
temptation to the creature, for it was a habit 

ii8 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

with him always to go to the man when he 
gave him this sort of invitation. But it was 
also now a habit with the kitten to keep en- 
tirely outside of the sitting-room. Thus the 
poor creature found himself in a strait be- 
twixt the two, and knew not what to do. Con- 
sequently, Kitten-cat made "quite a demon- 
stration, yovvTd, moved about nervously, 
yowed again, looked yearningly at the man, 
and finally made one or two steps inside. 

Just at this critical moment, the cat caught 
sight of the man's sister, who was interestedly 
watching the whole affair. He looked at the 
woman, and the woman looked at him. It 
was enough, for he went back and sat down in 

the doorwav as before. 

■J 

But there was the man, still stooping and 
coaxing him to come. So, casting reflection 
and caution to the winds, he walked straight 
across to the man, allowed his caresses, rubbed 
against him down one side and back the other, 
and went back to the doorway, and sat down 
as at first. 

Pleased with his victory, the man kept 
on coaxing. Then som.e of the spectators 

119 




FLICKER 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

laughed, and, apparently offended at every- 
body, Kitten-cat whirled about and walked 
away to the kitchen. 

In time, the cat learned to stand erect on 
its hind legs and walk half way across the 
room when promised something to eat. It 
would stand on its hind legs and paw a mor- 
sel of food out of the closed fist of the man. 
When it first learned to play, it did not seem 
to know how sharp were its claws and teeth; 
but in a little while it managed someway to 
learn that its claws must always be kept well 
up in their natural cushions and that its teeth 
must always be used with moderation. 

One thing made it very easy to correct the 
cat, because it was so timid. A little scolding, 
a few slaps of the hand, were always amply 
sufficient to subdue it. It made not the slight- 
est attempts at resistance after that. 

His timidity and love of peace were what 
always won the battle with him in every test. 
The first time a dog came into the house, he 
acted as if he were going into hysterics or a 
cat fit or something equally bad. 

This timidity always kept the cat very close 

121 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

at home and, much of the time, inside of the 
house. Once, in the early spring, the cat 
seemed out of sorts and lost its appetite. Then 
the man decided to take him over by the rail- 
road track to a spot where grew some catmint. 
The man had an idea that if Kitten-cat once 
learned where the '' catnip " grew, it would 
go there for it later whenever it pleased. 

But the cat was afraid, even in the arms of 
the man, to leave the place, and began to claw 
to get away. He seemed very much fright- 
ened at the prospect of going into a strange 
country. He had never been so far away from 
home before. He struggled and clawed, until 
it was all the man could possibly do to hold 
him. 

Man and cat had gotten hardly a block 
away when a dog came out into the road after 
them and barked. That settled it The cat 
could not be gotten to the catnip, so the catnip 
had to be brought to the cat. 

As the spring advanced, Kitten-cat spent 
more and more time each day out of doors. 
He chased the birds in every direction, and 
gradually ventured farther and farther in his 

122 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

attempts to capture them. Finally he seemed 
to gain a spirit of self-reliance, and chased 
the birds wherever their winged flights might 
take him. 

The man laughed at the cat's efforts to 
catch the birds. The man knew that birds 
could never be caught that way; but he for- 
got that even cats sometimes learn from ex- 
perience. So the cat was given free rein, and 
tried vainly day after day to catch at least 
one bird. 

He ran at the birds as they flew by. He 
jumped in the air to seize them as they came 
near. He tried to catch them unawares while 
they sat on the fence. He crawled after them 
as they were feeding or drinking on the 
ground. But his white color and black spots 
made him so conspicuous that he had no 
chance whatever of catching them off guard. 
The birds usually saw the cat before he had 
covered a third of the intervening distance. 
They not only flew away, but in some cases 
actually mocked the cat, who seemed to un- 
derstand the insult, and waxed indignant and 
full of wrath. 

123 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

About this time the man noticed that he 
could no longer play with the cat as of old. 
He seemed nervous, and, if the man attempted 
to play with him, made protest which ended 
eventually in some scratches and bites that, 
to the man, were quite unwelcome. The cat 
was slowly losing its gentleness, as well as its 
timidity and love of peace. 

It had begun the work of making war, — a 
war on the birds, — that knew no cessation 
from morning until night. A strange sort of 
wildness was creeping into its nature and 
character. It began to be disobedient, artful, 
cunning, deceptive. 

The man became alarmed, and sought to 
stop the bad work begun, but it was too late. 
Every effort he made in the way of attempt- 
ing to check the cat, ended in utter failure. 
It was impossible to watch the cat only on 



124 



V DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

occasions. And hour by hour these efforts 
were being neutralized by a steady, deter- 
mined effort on the part of the cat to make 
war on the birds. Hour by hour it made 
every effort that a cat's brain could invent. 

Some wrens built a nest that summer in 
the box on the pole. The cat spent hours at 
a time chasing after those wrens. When the 
cat came near the pole and the nest, the wrens 
had a queer way of flying down almost within 
reach of him and then off again in a tanta- 
lizing way that put the cat into a perfect 
tremor and frenzy of excitement. It was their 
way of enticing the cat away from the nest 
and the young wrens. It certainly worked, 
but it was demoralizing to the cat; it seemed 
to make him sure that in time his patience 
would be rewarded, since each time he came 
so near to seizing the feathered prey. 

And that was not all of it, for the wrens 
had a queer way, also, of keeping up a con- 
stant, scolding chatter, which the cat at- 
tempted to answer in kind. They would 
alight near the cat and chatter as only a wren 
can. The cat would rise up as high as it could, 

125 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

open its lips and bare its teeth, then chatter 
as nearly like the wrens as a cat ever can. At 
such times its whole body would quiver with 
the intensity of its excitement. It would 
become so eager that it would attempt im- 
possible things, and threaten to go mad. Too 
much excitement is not good for anybody, 
not even a cat. 

The results of all this were only too plainly 
being seen in the changing nature of the cat. 
It was absolutely impossible to pet him at all. 
Any attempt to do it would call forth a warn- 
ing cry and show a nervousness and a wild- 
ness that were positively forbidding. 

But the cat caught no birds, not one. After 
spending hours and days and no end of labor 
and subtlety in vain, the cat seemed to realize 
that it might as well quit or find some other 
way. Many a cat has reached this same point 
of experience and given up the task as a hope- 
less one, but not so with this cat. He was 
made of sterner stuff. He had too much of his 
wild progenitor's blood in his nature ever to 
give up while a bird flew and he had his liv- 
ing powers. 

126 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 



I know not how he learned the way, per- 
haps by chance, but learn he certainly did, 
and it was a way that 
was most f atefully 
effective. He found 
how even birds .may 
be caught quite easily 
— even though the cat 
is white and has black 
spots. He discovered 
that cunning could do 
what strength and 
agility never can do. 
It was a long, waiting 
game, that took much 
patience and self-con- 
trol. Nevertheless, it 
got the birds, and so 
it paid. 

The cat had learned 
a lesson that it is often 
supposed only man can 
learn. Many a man has learned that brains 
will often do what muscles alone can never 
do. And many other men know that this is 

127 




MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

so, but find it easier to work their muscles 
than to work their brains. 

It was quite a secret for a cat to discover, 
but nothing is more certain than that it did 
discover this very thing. We are not writing 
fiction, but fact. In the realm of nature- 
study and descriptions, nothing else will do; 
all else is misleading and pernicious. 

Having learned the great secret,* the cat 
stopped jumping into the air when a bird 
went by. He stopped his stealthy prowling 
after one when it alighted on the ground. He 
stopped chasing the wrens all about the yard. 
He began a new set of tactics. 

He found some places where there were 
more birds than in other places. He fre- 
quented these places. And he cam.e back with 
birds. How did he accomplish it? 

One day the man saw the cat disappear in 
a clump of grass. The cat remained away 
some time. The man was busy with his work 
and an hour went by. Still the cat vs^as not to 
be seen. 

Then the man went over to the clump of 
grass — the secret was out. The cat buried 

128 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

himself in the grass, and when the birds came 
down to feed, he seized them promptly with- 
out fuss or failure. 

Of course, it was a waiting game that took 
self-control and patience. Such a secret, how- 
ever, once in the possession of such a cat, you 
may be sure there would follow plenty of 
trouble for the bird world. 

The cat would carry all the slaughtered 
birds to a place under the back porch, and 
there leave the bones and feathers. By this 
means the man knew just how many birds the 
cat was getting each day. 

It was a sad record. Some days the cat 
would get but one bird, some days as high as 
three, and finally, in one afternoon it caught 
five! That determined the man to do what 
for some time he had been meditating. The 
man loved the birds. He had watched them 
for years. More than this, it had been against 
the man's plans from the first to have a cat 
on the place, and now he owned a cat that 
could beat any other in the country for the 
slaughtering of birds. 

So the man decided that the cat must die. 
9 129 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

It would take all the nerve he could muster 
to do it, for he had learned to think a great 
deal of the cat. But he loved the birds, too, 
and it was the life of one cat against the lives 
of perhaps hundreds of birds. 

The man had been saddened as he had 
seen the cat being slowly transformed into a 
wild, savage, plundering creature. He had 
watched the cat go slowly to the bad. He 
had been powerless to prevent the sad ruin of 
a creature that once was almost an ideal kitten. 
Obedience, honesty, gentleness, — these had 
been the cat's cardinal virtues; but they were 
slowly being sacrificed for the wild, savage 
prompting that pushed the cat on to its end. 
It was a deplorable case of a cat's downfall, 
and all because of its appetite for birds. 

Of course, in a sense, the cat was but fol- 
lowing its nature, but it was to the utter per- 
version of all the good and best that belonged 
to it. 

If the man would have had to use violence, 
I do not think he would ever have attempted 
to destroy the cat. But there was a way to do 
it easily, with chloroform. 

130 



A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE 

He waited. He hoped that the cat would 
quit. And while he hoped and waited, the 
cat killed birds. 

One day the cat brought in two robins, a 
wren, a rose-breasted grosbeak, and a blue- 
bird. That ended it. 

You may not like the way the man did 
with the cat. Perhaps you would care more 
for the cat than for the birds. But he loved 
the birds, and he simply could not bear to see 
his cat going thus to the bad. 



131 



MRS. SPINNER 




. "RecLv\nn3 



IX 
MRS. SPINNER 

By the man's back porch there were a num- 
ber of wild cucumber vines, and among these 
vines last summer Mrs. Spinner set up house- 
keeping. She was a quiet, wary little body, 
and it was not the easiest thing in the world 
to catch her at her work. She cares nothing 
whatever about making the acquaintance of 
human beings; she minds her own business, 
and hopes you will mind yours. 

She has a private chamber where she pre- 
fers to remain during the daytime, coming out 
into her reception-room only after sunset. At 
such times she wears an evening gown of pink 
with brown and white trimmings. 

One thing about her, however, is rather 
peculiar, and that is the fact that she has eight 
legs — four times as many as you and I have. 
It is no wonder, then, that she can move 
around on her rope ladders so swiftly and 
easily. 

135 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

At the ends of her feet she has three hooked 
claws as sharp as those of a cat, and beside 
these a number of fine, sharp needles. Sur- 
rounding both her claws and spines is a lot of 
long, stiff hairs. It is with these hooked feet 
of hers that she holds on to walls and to her 
strange spider webs. She can do things no 
trained athlete or acrobat ever could learn 
to do. 

She uses her feet, much as the carpenter 
uses his tools, in building her house of spider 
silk. Besides, she uses her feet to hold her 
food up to her mouth while she eats, for she 
has no fingers, as you have. 

And when she wants to brush the dust off 
her pink gown, she does not ask to borrow a 
clothes-brush, but simply brushes off the dust 
with the soft brushes of hairs that she carries 
on her legs. 

If you wonder what else she does with 
these eight legs and feet of hers, just watch 
her some evening shortly after sundown, and 
I think you will find that she has use for every 
one of them. In fact, you will find it as hard 
to watch at once all eight of her legs as it 

136 




MALE AND FEMALE REDWING BLACKBIRD 



MRS. SPINNER 

would be to watch all the doings in a three- 
ring circus. 

Another strange thing about her is that her 
teeth and tongue are outside of her mouth 
instead of inside. I think the reason for this 
is that she wants more room for them than 
her mouth can allow for. Just think what 
would happen if some people should find 
more room for their tongues than they now 
have ! 

Since Mrs. Spinner's teeth and tongue are 
outside of her mouth, all of her food has to 
be chewed before it goes inside. For this 
purpose she has what seems like a short pair 
of legs just in front of her real legs with which 
she holds her food while it is being chewed. 
These are called her palps. At the base of 
the palps is a set of teeth. And as if this was 
not enough teeth, she has two more sets, fast- 
ened to the front of her head, on what are 
called the mandibles. 

And at the outermost corner of the mandi- 
bles, Mrs. Spinner carries a spear, for she is 
a great body to go hunting; in fact, she makes 
her living by hunting and trapping game. 

139 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

This spear is kept sharp at all times, and 
will pierce through any insect she comes 
across. You have heard about poisoned ar- 
rows which, if they but scratch a person, will 
cause certain death. Well, Mrs. Spinner 
poisons her spear before she strikes with it. 
Sharp as that spear is, at the tip is a tiny open- 
ing, seen only with a microscope, and through 
that slight opening she can send a tiny jet of 
liquid poison into the body of her wounded 
enemy. 

Of course, Mrs. Spinner never kills things 
just for the fun of killing, although boys and 
men often do. She kills insects, such as flies 
and mosquitoes, of which wt already have 
too many, and eats them for food. And be- 
sides this, she uses her weapons to defend her- 
self when attacked by an enemy. 

A great many persons tell bad stories about 
being poisoned by spiders, but it is generally 
something else than spiders, for no spider 
will use her poison fang on a human being, 
unless she has been first attacked, and so is 
compelled to bite in self-defense. 

And if you were bitten by a spider, it would 

140 



MRS. SPINNER 

have little effect upon you. The poison cer- 
tainly makes quick work in killing flies and 
insects of various sorts, but it would only 
make your flesh smart or burn for a little time, 
somewhat like the sting of a bee. 

You remember that Mrs. Spinner has 
plenty of teeth. As they are outside her 
mouth, she has ample room in which to use 
them; she chews for hours at a time. Mrs. 
Spinner never eats anything but liquid food, 
and it often takes a long time to grind her 
food up fine enough to be swallowed. 

Although Mrs. Spinner has eight eyes, she 
can not see with them all as well as you can 
with your two. She can not see things far 
away at all, but she can see things behind her 
without turning round, and that is something 
you can not do. 

The man and his wife often watched Mrs. 
Spinner build her house just at evenfall. I 
will tell you how she usually did it. She 
stood on the right side of the open space be- 
tween the vines, and ran out a long, loose 
stream of silk. For a moment or two she 
allowed the breeze to carry it out from her 

141 



V 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

queer spinning machine, then with a peculiar 
quick movement of her body she made it fast 
to the vine. 

Then, holding one of the threads with the 
claw of her foot, she waited for it to catch on 




a vine to the left of the open space. Every 
now and then she pulled gently on the stream- 
ing thread, and rolled some of it up with her 
palps until she felt it pull tight. The web 
had caught on a rope that held up the wild 

142 



MRS. SPINNER 

cucumber vine. Then she made a trip over 
to see where the line ran. 

Wrong, side up, she slid along the single 
rope of silk, walking with six feet and using 
the other two in managing the new thread she 
was spinning. Back and forth she went sev- 
eral times, running a new line each time, until 
she had a firm cable for the upper support 
of her house. 

She has no chalk with which to make 
marks, as the carpenter does, but she has an- 
other way of doing it that serves quite as well. 
About the middle of the upper line she placed 
a little wad of white silk. The next trip 
across, when she came to this white dot, she 
dropped loose of the upper line and hung 
only by the thread she was spinning. She 
dropped until she reached a leaf near the 
bottom of the open space between the vines. 

After this she moved from one point to an- 
other outside the open space and strengthened 
the outer ropes thoroughly, for these were to 
support her new home. She was next ready 
to put in the spokes, for her house was to be 
made in the form of a wheel. 

143 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Beginning at the white dot of silk in the 
middle of the first line of threads she wove, 
she moved down the thread by which she had 
formerly dropped from this point, and, about 
half way of its length, she placed a second 
wad of silk. This was to mark the hub, or 
center, of her wheel. 

From this central point she ran out to the 
edge, made a turn, and came back to the cen- 
ter, thus forming the first spoke. She did not 
make the spokes all around, one after another, 
in regular order; that generally would not 
have done at all. She was all the time on the 
lookout to keep her wheel from getting one- 
sided and thus have it pulled out of shape. 

Sometimes she put them rather far apart, 
and again she placed them in almost opposite 
directions from one another. Then when they 
were about all in, she felt around from one 
to another, as if to know if any more were 
needed. Trying them a few times and fixing 
them to suit, she seemed satisfied with that 
part of the work. 

Now she was ready for the circular lines. 
You remember that when she wanted to mark 

144 



MRS. SPINNER 

the center, she used a wad of silk; but there 
seems no way for her to chalk ofif the places 
where the new lines are to go; nevertheless, 
she knows a way. 

Carpenters use a scaffolding with which to 
construct parts of buildings they could not 
otherwise reach, and Mrs. Spinner has her 
scafifolding, too. The designer lays in his 
design with a number of rough lines to in- 
dicate the general design, and the spider has 
her way of roughly chalking out the designs 
of her house. 

She began at the hub and moved around 
and around from one spoke to another, spin- 
ning and fastening her threads as she went. 
This first set of spiral lines is very difficult to 
see in the twilight, but if you look sharp, you 
can make it out. This first spiral is not to 
remain, but is put in merely as the designer 
puts in rough lines to suggest the design that 
is to be, or as the carpenter makes a scaffold- 
ing by which to construct the real building. 

These spiral lines stood much farther apart 
than the permanent lines were to stand. Hav- 
ing these lines of the wide spiral all in, she 

145 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

was now ready for the second and last spiral. 
She started the first spiral from the center, but 
this last one she began from without. 

Around and around she goes without any 
hesitation and without making a single mis- 
take. She does her work better than you will 
ever do yours. It is humiliating, is it not? 
And she only a spider. 

Often and often the man has watched Mrs. 
Spinner put in these spiral lines. The first 
wide spiral seems to help her to know just 
where to put the new spiral. She puts the last 
one in much closer than she did the first; with 
the first, the lines were far apart; with the 
second, they are less than a quarter of an inch 
apart. 

As fast as the old spiral gets in the way of 
the new one, she pulls it up to her mouth with 
her front feet, rolls it into a ball, chews it 
awhile, and drops it to the ground. This is 
her way of tearing down her scoffolding and 
of rubbing out the rough lines of her strange 
design. 

Another thing the man discovered, and that 
was the fact that the spokes and foundation 

146 



MRS. SPINNER 

threads of the web were made of dry and in- 
elastic silk, while the spiral is made of sticky, 
stretchy threads. 

It would never do to have a house made of 
sticky, stretchy threads, for it would soon be 
pulled out of shape. Mrs. Spinner is wise 
enough to lay the foundations of her house 
with dry, inelastic threads that are sure to 
stay in place. 

But the spiral is for the purpose of catching 
her prey, and it must be sticky, so as to hold 
the flies and other insects, and it must be 
stretchy, so as not to be broken easily and so as 
not to put too great strain upon the spokes 
and the foundation threads of the house. 

There is no question about it; Mrs. Spin- 
ner's house is very wisely made. And up at 
one corner, formed of the growing leaves of 
the vine, she builds her private mansion, 
where she stays during the day. You may 
brush away her webs every morning, but she 
is safe in her snug retreat, and at night she 
will come forth again and weave another web. 

After the blackberries had been picked, the 
man noticed one day a huge spider web built 

147 



MRS. SPINNER 



among the berry vines. It had a web at least 
two feet across, and w^ith a queer zigzag white 
band across the middle. The spider itself 




was brightly marked with black and yellow. 

The reason the man had not noticed this 

spider before was because in the early part 

of the summer it is smaller, and it makes only 

148 



MRS. SPINNER 

a small web that hardly anybody happens to 
see unless he hunts for it. 

The spider that built by the wild cucumber 
vines is called the garden spider. The one 
that built in the blackberry vines is called the 
autumn spider. She is called autumn spider 
because she is not noticed until toward au- 
tumn, and some people once thought she 
visited us only at that time. 

While she is getting her growth, she dresses 
in a modest suit of black and white. But 
when she gets grown up, she puts on bright 
yellow and black. The hub of this spider's 
web is fully four inches across, and above it 
and below it is the zigzag band of white. The 
band seems to be a brace to hold the web, 
steady. 

And indeed she needs a strong web for 
when the man came near her so as to startle 
her she would swing herself, web and all, 
back and forth, faster and faster. She does 
not swing this way just for the exercise, but 
only when she is frightened, as when a bird 
tries to snatch her for its dinner. She swings 
back and forth so swiftly that the bird is com- 

149 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

pelled to give up in despair and to hunt its 
dinner elsewhere. 

There are many other kinds of spiders that 
may be found every summer in the man's 
garden, and for that matter, in anybody's 
garden. Only the mother spiders spin webs, 
and that is why we call her Mrs. Spinner. 

The Bible says that the spider takes hold 
with its hands and is found in king's palaces. 
No place is so elegant but the spiders find 
their way there, and no place is so humble 
but they find it suitable to their purpoess. 

The spiders can teach us lessons we have 
hardly as yet begun to learn. 



150 



THE NEIGHBOR IN RED 




X 

THE NEIGHBOR IN RED 

The Cardinal belongs especially to the 
South, but he does not stay where he is sup- 
posed to belong; no, not by any means. 

One cold day in December, when the gar- 
den was a sheet of snow and ice, the man went 
out to cut down an old peach tree that he had 
condemned to death. In the first place, it was 
a useless old tree, half rotten, and had long 
since ceased to bear peaches. In the second 
place, it had shaded a part of the garden dur- 
ing the past summer and about ruined a lot 
of tomato plants. 

There were several new peach trees along 
the line of the north fence where they could 
not shade the garden, and so the old tree would 
never be missed. 

The man raised the ax and struck the tree 
a sounding whack that made the old trunk 
shiver. 

Whir-r-r! went something out of the top 
of the broken, rotten end of the stub. The 

153 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

man looked in surprise. It was an English 
sparrow. The scared bird had built himself 
a nest in a hole that either he had found or 
burrowed there. 

Talk about feather beds! The inside of that 
hole was just packed with chicken feathers. 
That sparrow must have been a week or two 
picking them up, one by one, about the coun- 
try, for the man does not keep chickens. 

It was certainly too bad to be driven out of 
doors in such weather, for it was very cold, 
and the sun was well along in the western sky. 
How would you like it to be turned out of 
bed and house on a cold winter's afternoon 
to hunt any old place you could find? 

Well, just about that time the cardinal 
came along. I do not know whether he un- 
derstood how the sparrow had been misused 
or not; but, anyway, he made some remarks 
that the man thought were certainly meant 
for him. 

If you do not know it, let me tell you that 
the cardinal can whistle, in a startling way, 
sounds that seem almost like words. 

This time the cardinal seemed to be angry. 
154 




SCARLET TANAGER 
SUMMER TANAGER RED-HEADED WOODPECKER 

CARDINAL GROSBEAK DOWNY WOODPECKER 



THE NEIGHBOR IN RED 

If he understood what had happened, he had 
reason to be. 

" Look here! look here! " whistled the car- 
dinal. 

Of course the man did look. But Mr. Car- 
dinal did not seem at all afraid to talk up 
to the man. The bird came a little nearer, 
tipped his head to one side, and flirted his 
tail. Then he whistled again. 

" See here! see here! " 

" Well," said the man to himself, " I guess 
I have stirred up a bit of a tempest. I cer- 
tainly did not mean any harm to the bird 
fraternity." 

The man stepped back a pace or two, and 
paused again to hear the cardinal whistle 
once more. This time the words seemed 
somewhat different. 

'' You fear! you fear! " 

At this the cardinal whisked about and 
sounded a ^' chip " of seeming indignation. 

"Come here! come here!" screamed the 
cardinal. 

But the man was of a peaceable nature, 
and did not intend to quarrel with any bird, 

157 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

much less the cardinal. And so he begged 
to be excused. 

The man has wondered since if the car- 
dinal was so cross about the sparrow, or if he 




Cardinal 
GpoaheaK 



was merely objecting to the noise that the ax 
had made when it struck such a sounding 
whack on the old dried peach tree. 

But however it was, the cardinal did not 
seem to hold his resentment very long. That 
night was one of the coldest nights of winter, 

158 



THE NEIGHBOR IN RED 

and the next morning the garden looked more 
frosty than ever. Nevertheless, the cardinal 
was on hand quite early. 

^' Good cheer! good cheer!" he w^histled. 

The man heard it before he sat down to 
breakfast, opened the door, and looked out. 

'' Good cheer! good cheer! — three cheers! 
three cheers!" whistled the cardinal, and 
went sailing away, to disappear beyond the 
garden fence. 

" Just look at the courage of him," said the 
man softly to himself. " That clear, merry 
whistle on a cold morning like this puts cour- 
age into even a man." 

Again came the notes of the cardinal. He 
was sounding his rich, rolling, rollicking 
melody. 

'' Three cheers! three cheers! three cheers!" 

Cold weather did not make him gloomy; 
he was not a particle worried; he was sing- 
ing. What a lesson to the caretaker! O, to 
be in such spirit as the cardinal! O, to make 
as well of things as he does ! O, to face drear 
aspects with a heart as glad as his, and a tune 
as cheery! 

159 



IMPOSING ON OTHERS 




XI 
IMPOSING ON OTHERS 

Our plans do not always work out just as 
we had hoped. There are many disappoint- 
ments awaiting us all, many of them as great 
as our strength can endure. Life does not run 
smoothly anywhere. 

Why, then, should we expect to see every- 
thing in the bird-world go according to our 
ideas? Wherever you find life, there you 
find an element of sadness and of tragedy. 

There is one bird that seems like a blot on 
a part of God's fair creation, and whose do- 
ings have stirred more than one man's sense 
of justice. The creature guilty of such high 
misdemeanors is the cowbird. 

The man will not soon forget the first time 
he saw a mother cowbird. He wondered 
what kind of bird it was. He noted that it 
was of a dark brownish-gray color, somewhat 
lighter below. He did not know enough about 
birds to identify it. 

163 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

But there were two things about it that 
seemed quite different from any other birds 
he had seen. One of these was the ^short, 
thick bill, and the other was its very stealthy 
movements. Its actions aroused his suspi- 
cions at once; it seemed to his notion more 
like a sneak than a bird. Since then he has 
learned what a scoundrel the bird is, and 
does not wonder at its sneaking ways. 

Do you know the reason of this conduct of 
the cowbird? It certainly must be because 
the creature is up to something that is not 
strictly honest. That is the way it looks, and 
in this case the looks do not in the least de- 
ceive. It is a very sad case; but I will tell 
you about it. 

First of all, you must know that the cow- 
bird never builds a nest of its own. It hunts 
about among the trees and bushes until it 
finds the nest of some other bird, and when 
the mother is gone from the nest, the cowbird 
just drops an egg into the nest, and slips away 
as slyly as it can. 

Generally, or at least often, when the 
mother bird comes back to the nest, she does 

164 



IMPOSING ON OTHERS 

not seem to notice the new egg; or, if she 
does notice it, she does not seem to know what 
to do about it, and keeps right on taking care 
of her eggs, and the cowbird's egg along with 
the rest. 

If the cowbird would only choose a bird 
somewhere more nearly its own size, it would 
not seem quite so bad; but the shrewd cun- 
ning that teaches the cowbird to impose on 
other birds leads her to choose birds consider- 
ably weaker than herself. And yet, if no 
others are available, she will use the nest of 
almost any bird that happens to be at hand. 

Is it not a shame that a bird should be so 
lazy or so unnatural, so to speak, as to act 
like a tramp and a hobo? Instead of build- 
ing a home of her own, she steals into some- 
body's else home. Instead of taking care of 
her own children, she pushes them off onto 
other birds. And then she gads about and 
gossips instead of being at home and behav- 
ing herself. 

The father cowbirds are so black, or nearly 
black, that as likely as not you have seen them 
a number of times and called them black- 

165 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

birds. Sometimes they perch on the backs of 
the cows, hunting for flies, lice, and similar 
tempting morsels, and this is why they are 
called cowbirds. Out West they used to be 
called bufifalo birds. It is said that you 
will hardly find a bunch of cattle on the 
Western prairies now but has its attendant 
cowbirds. 

Let me tell you about some of the wrong- 
doings of the mother cowbird. Once upon 
a time a sparrow built a nest in a hollow of a 
grassy bank, so hidden by the dried leaves and 
grass and so confused with its surroundings 
that it was hard to find even when you once 
knew its location. I doubt whether anybody 
would have found it, only that the bird was 
seen carrying material to the place, and by 
watching her long and faithfully, the nest 
was discovered. 

The second day there was one little brown- 
spotted tgg in the nest. The mother bird was 
gone, and the man who watched had his eyes 
wide open, and that is why he saw in a thicket 
a sneaking mother cowbird. She was prowl- 
ing about in the underbrush and leaves, look- 

i66 






- 


.^^^ 


«*^. ^3- ^-^- 


i: I i 


. ^ 


% 


l*/ 



COWBIRDS 



IMPOSING ON OTHERS 

ing for a nest, and she found this nest of the 
song-sparrow. 

Having discovered the nest, the cowbird 
peered all about, and seeing that there was 
no one to interfere with her, she slipped into 
the nest, and in a short time came away again. 

The man who was watching went over to 
the nest, and, sure enough, there was the egg 
of the cowbird. It looked quite like the spar- 
row's cgg^ a trifle larger, it is true, but not 
enough so for a sparrow to notice. 

But if the sparrow did notice it, she might 
perhaps think that she was a little further 
ahead with her housekeeping than she had 
at first supposed. Perchance she might con- 
clude that she had laid two eggs instead of 
merely one. 

The mother cowbird seems to be quite 
liberal with her eggs. She does not seem to 
be at all partial, and distributes her eggs 
around most generously. She looks to see 
that they are put where they will very likely 
hatch, and as they do not require so long a 
time for this as most other birds' eggs, she 
is not at all likely to go amiss in her plans. 

169 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



It makes not so very much difference to her 
whose nest it may happen to be; the pendent 
nest of the oriole in some roadside elm suits 
her very well; or the nest of the indigo-bird 
does quite as nicely; or barring 
these, the nest of the chewink, 
thrush, or vireo — any of these, 
if they are within reach, are 
quite entirely to her taste. She 
is not at all fastidious about 
the matter; not in the least. 

Well, as we were saying, 
here was the tgg of the cow- 
bird in the nest of the little 
song-sparrow. The man was 
very much tempted to throw 
the Ggg out, but as he liked to 
see how it would all turn out, 
he decided to leave it there for 
a while and watch results. 
You see, it does not take the cowbird egg so 
long to hatch as those of the sparrow, and so 
it was the first tgg in the nest to hatch. The 
young cowbird was larger than the other 
birds, and crowded them back and got most 

170 




IMPOSING ON OTHERS 

of the food. It did not seem to make any 
difference to him what sort of food was given 
to him so long as it was food ; and the more 
he ate, the more he seemed to want. What- 
ever he ate seemed to act as an appetizer. 
His open, red mouth was forever clamoring 
for food; and the other little creatures, who 
really had the only right to the nest, were 
pushed and crowded almost out of the nest, 
and practically left to starve. 

The man was quite disgusted by the self- 
ishness of the greedy robber of a cowbird, 
and would have pitched him out of the nest 
forthwith, only that he wished to watch the 
affair a little longer, and thus see how bad 
things really could get. 

Then something or another happened to 
keep the man from getting back to the nest 
as soon as he had expected ; and when he did 
return, matters were in a sorry plight. The 
nest was practically filled by the cowbird. 
He had grown so large that he just about 
monopolized the whole nest. Although big 
and fat, he was still on the shout for some- 
thing to eat. 

171 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Two of the young sparrows, or all there 
was left of them — merely their skeletons — 
were lying beside the bank, where they had 
been tumbled headlong. And one little, 
puny creature was jammed between the young 
cowbird and the edge of the nest. 

Although the young cowbird was not yet 
fully grown, he was already much larger than 
the mother sparrow. The man did not feel 
that it was his place to kill the little pirate, 
but there was one thing he could do, and it 
did not take him very long to set about it. 

I have read of one man who found a young 
cowbird in a nest like this, and who took the 
young piece of imposition by the neck and 
dropped him in the river. But this man did 
not do that; he took the little pig of a cowbird 
from the nest, and set him on the ground be- 
side the grassy bank. The young creature 
had so good a voice, and used it so effectively, 
that the man knew it would never die of star- 
vation. And so the one little starved spar- 
row had the bed all to himself thereafter. 

But it was somewhat amusing, as well as 
pathetic, to see the poor mother sparrow try 

172 



IMPOSING ON OTHERS 



to feed this big lubber of a cowbird. The 
little fellow would raise himself, shake his 
wings, and clamor for food; the mother spar- 
row, with wings closely drawn to 
her side, apparently nerv- 
ous and somewhat hur- 




""^ ried, was compelled to reach 

to her utmost to place the 
food into the wide-open throat of 
the young cowbird. 
I think it would have been better, and have 
saved the mother sparrow a great deal of 
hard work as well as the lives of two little 
ones, if the man had dropped that big egg out 
of the nest the first time he saw it. But one of 
the little sparrows was left to live, anyway; 

173 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

and, of course, no one person can hope to 
straighten out all the bad tangles that come 
in this big world. If we can only keep from 
putting in some tangles of our own, it will 
be a great deal. 

I am glad that there are some birds that 
will not allow the cowbird thus to impose 
upon them. For instance, the little Maryland 
yellowthroat, I am told, just dumps the old in- 
truder's eggs right out of the nest and smash! 
onto the ground. You will often find broken 
cowbird's eggs under the nests of the oriole 
and the catbird. They simply will not en- 
dure such foolishness, and I do not blame 
them a particle, do you? 

But if a bird were quite small and could 
not get the egg^ out of the nest, what would 
you suppose it could do? — I know what one 
bird does. One of the vireos promptly goes 
away and leaves the whole thing, and begins 
all over again. 

But the yellow warbler seems to think it 
is too much trouble to find a new place for 
a nest; she seems to think she already has 
about as good a place as can be found; but she 

174 



IMPOSING ON OTHERS 

does not intend to be imposed upon by the 
cowbird, so she just builds a new nest right 




'ifc# Spar vow 



J 



over the old one, and thus leaves the old 

cowbird's tgg down in the cellar, so to speak. 

Mr. Gibson once found a nest which was 

really three nests, built one above the other, 

175 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

with a spotted cowbird's egg in each of the 
two lower ones. 

It is no wonder, then/that a bird which is 
up to so much mischief and causes so much 
trouble, should move about in the under- 
brush and bushes in the sly, sneaking way 
that is common to the cowbird. 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 




XII 
THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

Any one who watches the birds for a time 
will be surprised at the marks of their in- 
telligence. They have difficulties to meet. 
And often they sit down, so to speak, and 
after having apparently thought it all over, 
attack the problem before them with vigor. 

If at the first attempt they are not success- 
ful, they try again, and seek different ex- 
pedients until they accomplish their purpose. 

The young birds, as well, are taken through 
a course of instructions by their parents. 
Sometimes these young birds do not attend 
school with any better grace than some young 
folks I have known. But, with the birds, as 
with children, it is best for them, and they 
usually find it out. 

A pair of wrens in the man's garden last 
summer had five little wrens to care for, and 
when the young birds left the nest, the noise 
in that garden was something immense. 

179 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

One of the parent birds would come near 
with its tempting morsel of food. The little 
wrens would stretch themselves out to the 
utmost, and chatter a perfect pandemonium 
of appeal, as if saying, '' O, give it to me I O, 
give it to me! " 

But it was the young bird that flew after 
the food that got it, no matter how much or 
how little he appealed. To the watcher it 
was clear enough that the parents were sim- 
ply enticing the little creatures to use their 
wings, teaching them how to fly and alight. 

The tiny creatures soon saw what was 
wanted, and before long there was a moving 
of wings back and forth across the garden, 
as the little ones chased the parents to secure 
the tempting food. 

But no sooner was the lesson well learned 
than another task confronted the little up- 
starts. They were next enticed to the grape 
arbor, and taught to capture their own food. 
It was surprising to see how quickly they 
learned. In an amazingly short time they 
were flying in and out of the vines, seeking 
and devouring their prey. 

1 80 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

Many incidents of a character similar to 
this schooling of the wrens have been re- 
corded, and any one who will use his eyes for 
one summer will gather many others. 

Olive Thorne Miller, in her wonderful 
little book, '' Bird Ways," tells of the school- 
ing of a number of birds. She has made a 
very close study of the birds, and has become 
versed in a large amount of valuable infor- 
m_ation concerning them. 

For instance, she tells of a robin to which 
she was attracted by a furious calling. The 
bird was fluttering his wings and in evident 
trouble, though she could not at first imagine 
the cause. Looking more closely, she saw, 
perched on a cedar branch, a fat, stupid-look- 
ing bird, fully as big as the robin, with a 
speckled breast, and no tail worth mentioning. 

He sat on the limb, looking like a lump of 
dough, his head well down in his shoulders, 
and his bill stretching almost straight up in 
the air. Neither the most tender appeals nor 
the loudest scoldings seemed to move him in 
the least. He looked, to all appearance, dead, 
save that he occasionally winked. 

i8i 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Stupid and stolid as he looked, the old bird 
loved him just the same, and fluttered about 
wildly while Mrs. Miller found a stick and 
jarred the branch a little as a delicate hint for 
the youngster to obey his papa. He accepted 
the well-meant advice, and flew away, as well 
as any bird, to the other side of the walk. 




^"^ ^^^'^.i• 



And then began Master Robin's first lesson 
in the worm industry. He was now to be 
taught how to till the ground with profit and 
pleasure. The father bird hopped ahead a 
few feet and called persuasively, ^^ Come 
on ! " The slow-moving youngster answered 
loudly, ^'Wait! wait!" and moved forward 
a few steps. 

Then the old bird dug up a worm just to 
show him how, and tenderly offered it to 

182 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

him by way of encouragement. In this way 
they kept on for some time, the clumsy young- 
ling led on by his greedy desire for worms, 
and the patient teacher, encouraging and 
working for him. If he ever thought of such 
a thing as making an effort for himself, it 
certainly was not manifest. And yet this is 
just what in time he would be left to learn or 
else starve. 

And besides teaching the young birds how 
to fly and hunt food, they must also be given 
their lessons in music. In the early morning 
they have more than once been heard re- 
hearsing a vocal lesson. Usually the old 
robin places himself in the thickest part of 
the tree, with his pupil near by, and begins, 
"Cheery! cheery! be cheery!" in a loud, 
clear voice. Then follows a feeble, waver- 
ing, uncertain attempt, on the part of the 
young bird, to copy the song. Again the 
father chants the first strain, and the baby 
pipes out his funny notes by way of imitation. 
This is kept up till in a surprisingly short 
time, with a good deal of practise, no one can 
tell father from son. 

183 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

A great many different kinds of birds have 
thus been seen to teach their young. Some- 
time you will perhaps see a young sparrow, 
squatted in a lump on a post or the roof of 
the shed, while his father or mother are coax- 
ing him to another flight. If the crumb they 
offer the lazy youngster is not enough in- 
ducement, perhaps the little peck in the head 
he gets will be, and so, one way or the other, 
he ventures out into the seeming danger of 
thrusting himself headlong. 

Not always do the bird children obey their 
parents, but I am glad to say that, as a general 
thing, they do. Once two old birds had a nest 
in a spruce tree. When the young were large 
enough to care for themselves, the old birds 
tried to get the young birds to go away. 
The old birds wanted the home for them- 
selves. But the young birds did not care to 
go away. They loved the old home place. 

First the mother bird tried to drive them 
away. She would bluster after them, flutter 
her wings, and scold loudly. Then she rushed 
at one of the youngsters, making as if to injure 
him severely; but when she came too near for 

184 




BROWN THRUSH, OR BROWN THRASHER 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

comfort, it simply hopped to another branch, 
apparently quite unconcerned. Then she 
turned on another of the birds, with no better 
result. 

Plainly, she was trying to teach them that 
they must seek a residence for themselves 
somewhere else, as she wanted that tree in 
which to bring up another family. But they 
knew that she still loved them, and did not 
seem to think she could really be very seri- 
ous about it. Certainly their own mother did 
not intend to turn them out into the hard, 
cold world. 

All the afternoon the sparrow mother 
worked at the task of disposing of the little 
family, but as soon as she had driven away 
one of them, another returned. At evening 
the young, trustful little creatures calmly 
placed themselves in the native spruce tree 
for the night. 

The mother having failed so signally, in 
the morning the father took up the task. He 
acted as if he intended to make short work 
of the whole affair. He assumed his most 
warlike attitude, bristled up his feathers, 

187 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

trailed his wings, with his back bent down- 
ward, and his tail erect. In this absurd atti- 
tude he went after them, calling, scolding, 
and making noise enough for a colony of 
birds. 

Now and then he made a drive at one of 
the younglings, if perchance he came too 
near, but in the main he simply kept up a sort 
of bluster and a constant scolding. This sort 
of thing does not seem to make the young 
birds mind any better than it does children. 
Anyway, the youngsters did not seem to be 
frightened in the least, for they hopped about 
and ate and argued within arm's reach of 
their blustering father. If he rushed at one 
of them, it took refuge on the other side of 
the tree. 

If he had really gone at them as he would 
have attacked an enemy, there is no doubt the 
matter would soon have been settled, but 
evidently he was somewhat proud of their 
pluck and perseverance, and had in his heart 
still an afifectionate regard for them, which 
softened his own spirit, and made his efforts 
at discipline a failure. 

1 88 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

Nevertheless, he kept up his appearance of 
hostility. Occasionally he ran madly down 
a branch as if to annihilate somebody, but as 
no one was there, no one happened to get 
hurt. When an infant did take flight before 
him, he invariably stretched his neck to watch 
the flight, as if to see that the little one arrived 
in safety. 

The mother aided the father to some extent. 
The young birds plainly knew what was 
wanted of them, but they did not seem willing 
to accept the fate offered to them. They did 
not usually '' answer back," but when one did, 
the irate father went after him in a way that 
showed when he really meant business. 

Near the close of the day it looked as if the 
father had been successful. He perched in a 
tree near by to shake himself out and plume 
his feathers. The young birds were gone, 
and he felt that he had done a good job. Just 
as he was congratulating himself on this 
happy ending, there sounded a flutter of 
wings, and back came the little fellows from 
around the corner of the house, and into the 
tree they went. 

189 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The old bird was plainly disconcerted. He 
stopped his toilet-making, and indulged in a 




few remarks, expressed in some very harsh 
notes, and craned his neck to take it all in. 

The next day four more young birds joined 
them, and now there were double the num- 
ber of children in the old spruce. For nine 

190 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

days the old birds kept up the attempt to drive 
the young birds away. But by that time the 




old birds seemed willing to give it up, and 
went away to find a home elsewhere. 
William J. Long, in his " Fowls of the 
191 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Air/' tells of an eagle and her nestling, which 
illustrates, not only a text in the Bible, but 
the fact we are attempting to present here; 
namely, that the young birds are taught by 
their elders. 

He had found an eagle's nest in a tree 
many hundreds of feet up in the side of a 
mountain. One day when he came to visit 
the nest, he found one of the eaglets gone. 
The other stood on the edge of the nest, look- 
ing down fearfully into the deep abyss below, 
calling disconsolately the while. He seemed 
hungry and cross and lonesome. 

Soon the mother eagle came swiftly up 
from the valley with food in her talons. Com- 
ing to the edge of the nest, she hovered over it 
a moment, so as to give the young eaglet a 
sight and a smell of the food she carried. He 
saw the food, and his appetite clamored for 
the morsel. Then the mother bird turned and 
went slowly down the valley, still holding the 
food, and, in this way, invited the young bird 
to follow her if he would have it. 

The eaglet called after her loudly, and 
several times spread his wings as if to follow. 

192 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

The plunge, however, was too forbidding; 
his heart failed him, and he settled back into 
the nest. Settling his head down into his 




shoulders and shutting his eyes, he acted as if 
trying to forget the fact that he was hungry. 
The mother was seeking to teach him that the 
time had come for him to use his wings. But 
13 193 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

he was afraid, and loved his nest. He hated 
to be stirred out of it. 

Soon again came the mother, and this time 
without food. Again she hovered over the 
nest and sought to get the eaglet to leave. At 
last she succeeded, but the clumsy little fellow 
only sprang up and flapped from the nest to 
the side of the mountain, but a few feet away. 
Here he sat for a few moments and looked 
out upon the valley below. Then he flapped 
back into the nest once more, and paid no 
further attention to all his mother's assurance 
that he should fly farther and learn to be an 
eagle indeed. 

It was pleasant to the eaglet to stay in the 
nest and be fed. But his mother knew there 
v/ere greater possibilities for his eagle nature 
in learning to use his broad pinions and thus 
soar in the very realm of the clouds. But the 
little eagle was short-sighted, and was content 
to let well enough alone. He did not know 
that for him to have his own v/ay would mean 
his ruination as an eagle. 

Suddenly, as if grown desperate, the par- 
ent eagle rose well above the nest. It was a 

194 



L£. 



THE SCHOOL OF THE BIRDS 

moment of suspense for the watcher, and he 
held his breath. The little fellow stood on 
the edge of the nest, looking down at the 
plunge which he dared not take. There was 
a sharp cry behind, which made him alert, 
tense as a watch-spring. The next instant the 
m.other eagle had swooped, striking the nest 
at his feet, and had sent both nest and eaglet 
out into the air together. 

He was out now into the broad expanse of 
the heavens itself, and he flapped wildly for 
life. But he was not alone; over him, under 
him, beside him, the mother hovered on 
trained and tireless wings, calling softly to 
him the while to calm his fearful spirit. And 
then, as if disconcerted by the lance tops of 
the spruces just below him, his flapping grew 
more wild. He fell faster and faster. Sud- 
denly, perchance from fright, he lost his 
balance and tipped head downward in the air. 

He seemed to realize that all was over now, 
and folded his wings to be dashed in pieces 
among the trees. But like a flash the mother 
eagle shot beneath him. His little feet 
touched her shoulders, between her wings. 

195 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

He clutched, righted himself, rested an in- 
stant, and found his head. In a moment more 
she dropped like a shot from under him, 
leaving him to try his wings and come down 
alone. A handful of feathers, torn out by 
his claws, drifted slowly down after them. 
The two birds passed from sight 

f among the trees. A little later, 
through his glass, the watcher saw 
the eaglet resting in the top of a 
great pine, and the mother was 
feeding him. 

And then the watcher thought 
of the saying of the wise prophet 
who spoke in the ages now gone, 
and this man watching in the wil- 
derness of America beheld what 
the man of the wilderness of the 
Midian desert had seen when he wrote: ^^As 
the eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over 
her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh 
them, beareth them on her wings, so the 
Lord." 



196 




BIRD-WAYS 




I 



XIII 
BIRD-WAYS 

But learning lessons is not confined to the 
young birds alone. The old birds, some of 
them rich in experience, are often confronted 
with perplexing problems, to solve which re- 
quires all the powers of their tiny brains. 

It is indeed interesting to see how they 
watch and study, seeking out ways and means 
by which to succeed in their desires. 

We have already given you the story of 
how the sparrows, by the example of the blue- 
birds, learned to enter a box which before 
that seemed utterly beyond their powers. 
They had another house, only a step away 
from it, which had a perch before the door, 
and which they might easily have made use 
of. But they had taken a notion to get into 
the bluebirds' box instead, and they never 
gave it up until it was at last done, and done 
pretty well for sparrows. 

In the fall a number, at least two, made 
199 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

their home there for a time, and were seen to 
come and go with ease, making the bluebirds^ 
home their own in the fullest sense of the 
word. And this spring they are there again, 
happy and contented. Thus you observe that 
they studied a hard problem and fully mas-, 
tered it. 

The story of the cat who learned how to 
catch birds further shows that the creatures 
of nature learn how to do what they really 
set about doing. They have situations to con- 
front as difficult and perplexing to them as 
any that face humanity. 

A great many farmers know how wise the 
crow is. If you give a crow a piece of dry 
bread, as likely as not he will soak it in water 
first, provided there is some handy, and thus 
take his bread soft. He knows a thing or two, 
and, if you get acquainted with him, you will 
find it out. 

And while we speak of crows, let me tell 
you of some things observed and recorded by 
persons whose word you can rely upon. 

Dr. Abbott one day was wandering in a 
gully, watching the robins, when he saw a 

200 



BIRD-WAYS 

crow solve a peculiar problem. There was 
something, nobody knows what, that the crow 
discovered away up in a tall tree. He wanted 
it, but could not reach it. He climbed above, 
below and around it, but all to no purpose. 




Dr. Abbott concluded that the crow would 
have to give it up as a bad job, but the crow 
was of a different opinion. Having been 
baffled in every other way, the bird took a 
short outward flight, turned, and, resting in 
the air on extended wing, after the fashion of 
a humming-bird, it secured the coveted mor- 

20 1 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

sel. Then it sought a near-by perch, held 
the object, which was of the size of a hen's 
tggj in its beak a moment, and swallowed it. 
Having done what it set out to do, it chuckled 
to itself in a meaning way and took flight. 

Again he saw a number of crows fishing 
mussels from the Delaware River. They ran 
along the edge of the sand-bars, which were 
exposed at low tide. Every few moments one 
of them would rise to a height of fully fifty 
feet, carrying a mussel in its beak, and flying 
inland to a distance of one hundred yards, 
would let the mollusk fall on the meadow. 
As a general thing, the force of the fall was 
enough to break the shell. 

But the crows did not stop to eat them, O 
no. They immediately returned to the islands 
and bars and gathered more mussels. This 
they continued until the rising tide stopped 
their work. They showed some intelligence 
in carrying these shells up in the air, and 
dropping them in such a way as to break them 
and open up the contents; but they showed 
far more wisdom in not stopping to eat so 
long as they could gather more shell-fish. It 

202 



BIRD- WAYS 

seems indeed marvelous that these crows 
understood the fact of the soon-rising tide, and 
realizing that their time was short, made the 
best use of it that they could. Then when 
the returning waters made further fishing im- 
practicable, they hastened to their feast, en- 
joying the results of their intelligent labor. 

A baby crow once did not come when his 
parents called him. The other young crows 
flew, but he kept still, and did not seem to 
think he would be noticed. 

But a crow has sharp eyes, and the mother 
crow saw how he was doing. When she came 
back, therefore, she flew directly at the diso- 
bedient young crow and knocked him clear 
ofif his perch. After that when she called, he 
followed with the rest. 

The meadow-lark has a black crescent on 
its breast which is very conspicuous. The 
bird seems to know this, and when an enemy 
comes near, turns its brownish back in that 
direction, for the lark is hard to be seen 
against the brown of the earth and the trees. 

Once a lark found himself in a difficult 
place. He was on a fence, and on one side 

203 



BIRD-WAYS 

was a hawk, searching for him, and on the 
other side a collector, also hunting for birds. 
Toward which of these should the lark ex- 
pose his brilliant yellow breast with its black 
crescent? "To be seen by either one of them 
would probably mean death. 

The collector had more than once seen 
larks in this field who turned their backs on 
him when he came near, so that he might not 
see them. But this lark seemed to know that 
it would be safer to trust the man than the 
hawk, and so it turned its back on the hawk, 
and stood facing the man. 

No good man would take advantage of a 
bird that showed such trust as that, and I am 
glad to say that this man spared the lark, and 
let him live to sing on for many a day. 

I have heard of another incident which 
shows that the birds will trust man in prefer- 
ence to their other enemies. They have 
learned that many people are kind-hearted, 
but it is often difficult for them to know whom 
to trust. If you once gain their confidence, 
their trust and affection is something beauti- 
ful and pleasing. 

204 




MEADOW LARK 



BIRD-WAYS 

Dr. Wheaton was one time out walking. A 
lark-sparrow flew ahead of him, and led him 
to a garter snake. The lark circled about the 
snake several times as if pointing it out. The 
doctor at once killed the snake, and the bird 
immediately perched on a fence stake and 
sang out his abundant gratitude. 

But its thankfulness was suddenly turned 
to sorrow when the poor sparrow discovered 
that the doctor, all unknowingly, had thrown 
the dead snake almost into the nest. The poor 
bird tugged and dragged at the body quite in 
vain, till the doctor came again to its assist- 
ance, and tossed the snake out of sight. This 
done, the bird once more burst into thankful 
song. 

It takes a quiet, patient love to teach birds 
or other creatures that they need have no fear 
of you. They have had many reasons in their 
brief lives for being mistrustful of humanity. 
But they have wonderful knowledge for such 
tiny things, and can be taught in time, if one 
is never boisterous, rude, or nervous while 
in their presence. Quick movements are es- 
pecially to be avoided. 

207 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

My oldest brother visited me one summer, 
and was greatly interested in the gray squir- 
rels that frequented the city square. They had 
been worried considerably by vicious dogs, 
and some of the squirrels had been killed. 
As a consequence the young creatures were 
not very trustful of anybody or anything. 

But my brother had a wonderful interest in 
them, and went out several times every day 
to feed and talk to the bright little furry crea- 
tures. It was not long before one of the squir- 
rels came to know him from all the hundreds 
that passed through and about the square. 

When my brother would arrive at the park, 
this squirrel would come to him at once. He 
would nose about in my brother's partly closed 
fist, and fish for the peanuts that were there. 
He would crawl into his pockets, climb up 
onto his shoulders and head, and crawl down 
his arm to take a nut from his hand. 

No one else could do this, for many tried, 
only to see the squirrel run from them. The 
little creature would tolerate no familiarities 
from any one else. He had his preference, 
and there was the end of it. 

208 



BIRD-WAYS 

There are many cases on record where birds 
have duped and deceived people, and then 
seemingly shown how keenly they relished 
the joke. 




More than once have I seen a blue jay make 
fun for himself and his fellows by blustering 
and frightening English sparrows. 

Birds also plainly display pride and self- 
confidence now and then, and again they are 
helpful and obliging, not only to their own 
family, but to others as well. 

211 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

They grow angry over encroachments upon 
their rights, and they can become incensed 
and go to war for the justice they deserve. 

Some birds, as the jays and the kingbirds, 
can bully and bluster the smaller birds. And 
some, even of the tiny birds, can show a 
bravery that is impressive and praiseworthy. 

Some birds are practically faultless in con- 
duct, as the bluebird; while some other birds, 
as the English sparrow, can be regular row- 
dies, and even murderers, without serious 
provocation. 

Man has made nature a good deal like him- 
self. In the study of nature, therefore, he 
sees reflected much of what he himself is or 
may be, both as to the upward and the down- 
ward tendencies of life. 

Nature, consequently, is an impressive 
teacher. 



212 



INVITATIONS TO THE BIRDS 




XIV 
INVITATIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Do you love the birds? Do you wish them 
for your neighbors? Even if you live in a 
tenement you may delight in the companion- 
ship of the birds. And if you live in the coun- 
try, a little effort, rightly directed, will give 
you the happy companionship of hundreds of 
the best and most helpful birds. 

Every spring they come North by the 
hundreds, and they are all on the lookout for 
homes. They are more discriminating than 
we recognize. They know whether our door- 
yards give them a welcome or not. 

They soon know and seek the places where 
there is no gunning. And they will not stay 
long where air-rifles and sling-shots do deadly 
execution. 

And it may as well be understood at the out- 
set that we must choose between cats and the 
birds. The cat holds the foremost place as 
a destroyer of song-birds. It has been esti- 

215 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

mated that each cat is responsible, on the aver- 
age, for the death of about fifty song-birds a 
year. The cat mentioned in one of the chap- 
ters of this book was capable of destroying 
about twenty a week. 

If cats and red squirrels are banished from 
your place, you will be surprised at the rapid 
increase in the number of song-birds. The 
rats and mice can be destroyed easily by 
means of traps or poisons. 

English sparrows should be discouraged as 
much as possible, as they take up the nesting 
places of much better birds. 

And, thus, you see, the first thing necessary 
in inviting the birds is to protect them from 
their enemies. The next thing is to provide 
them with suitable nesting places. 

Birds love tangles of bushes and shrubs; 
hence by planting a corner of the yard with 
sunflowers and wild berry bushes, we supply 
them with places for home, for hiding, and 
in which to find food. 

A vessel of water, kept always full, and 
safe from their enemies, is also a great at- 
traction to the birds, and gives them a place 

216 




WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

where they may drink and bathe. Place a 
stone in it and furnish the birds a place to 
stand upon. 

Martins, wrens, bluebirds, and chickadees 
occupy artificial nesting places. For such we 
can supply gourds, cans, and boxes. Bird- 
houses may be built, at once useful and ora- 
mental. 

In the winter you can attract the birds by 
nailing a piece of suet or fat pork to a tree or 
post. Last winter we enjoyed very much see- 
ing the birds feed upon a piece of suet which 
we kept nailed to a standard of the grape 
arbor. It sometimes looked as if the blue 
jay would drive his bill clear through the 
piece of fat, so eager did he seem for his por- 
tion of the delicacy. 

A window shelf, protected by an awning, 
is a fine place on which to scatter grain or 
crumbs. The birds may be fed hemp seed, 
sunflower seed, nuts, cracked corn, and bread 
made two-thirds of corn-meal and one-third 
of wheat flour. 

And now a word as to the things to plant. 
The orioles love mulberries, and you should 

218 



INVITATIONS TO THE BIRDS 

have at least one tree on the place. Many 
other birds will feed on the mulberries, and 
thus you will keep them away from your 
fruit trees to a large extent. 

Many farmers are planting mulberry trees, 
the shadbush, or June-berry, in order to pro- 
tect their strawberry beds, the first of which 
ripen about the same time. 

Then there is the choke-cherry, another en- 
ticing tree for birds. Let a few poke-weeds 
grow. The birds will eat the berries, and the 
weeds will do no harm, as they are easily con- 
trolled. If you have a corner that you can 
spare for the elder, you will find its showy 
black berries very useful in furnishing food 
for the birds. 

It is not necessary to go over the list of 
shrubs and trees that furnish fruit to the birds. 
In every locality there are native fruits, and a 
little observation will teach you which ones 
are preferred by the birds about you. Such 
will be the fruits for you to plant and culti- 
vate. 

But whatever you do, plant those that 
will ripen at intervals throughout the sum- 

219 



I 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

mer, thus furnishing the birds with a con- 
stant supply of food. 

Do not forget to provide nesting places, 
water, food, and protection from enemies. 
This done, you will have plenty of bird neigh- 
bors, and they will furnish you with endless 
delight and much useful knowledge. 



220 



XV 
INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

By observing their color markings, their 
habits, and their notes, you may become ac- 
quainted with all the birds in your neighbor- 
hood. 

Do not trust your memory, but have a note- 
book, and put down accurately only what you 
see. 

In getting the markings of birds that will 
not allow a close approach, an opera-glass 
will be of great assistance. 

Furthermore, be scrupulously conscientious 
about all your observations, and cultivate un- 
limited patience and perseverance. 

You will not find many birds in the deep 
woods; but in shrubby dooryards, along 
shaded avenues, in orchards, pastures, and 
along streams of water, you will find them in 
plenty. 

Keep the sun over your shoulder, as you 
can not distinguish colors against the light. 

221 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Move deliberately and quietly. Birds have 
so many enemies they are easily frightened. 

In the winter and early spring is a good 
time to begin making the acquaintance of the 
birds, since they are less numerous and con- 
fusing at these times. Once you are ac- 
quainted with the winter birds, you have a 
foundation of safe knowledge upon which to 
build, and progress after that will be de- 
lightful and continuous. 

If you are observing birds in winter, choose 
the warmest, most quiet part of the day. Usu- 
ally eleven o'clock is a good hour. 

In summer, early morning and toward sun- 
set are the best times for observation, the few 
hours after daybreak being the very best of 
all. 

One of the finest places I ever found for 
studying birds was in an old orchard by the 
riverside. Here, seated in the shade of the 
trees, we could see dozens of birds and note 
their many characteristics. In an ordinary 
dooryard one will be surprised to note how 
many and various the birds that congregate, 
and how much there is to learn about them. 

222 



TO FIND THE NAME OF A GIVEN 
BIRD 

After noting carefully the marks and char- 
acteristics, turn to the Color Guide. By means 
of the Guide you will doubtless find your bird 
to be one of several. Turn next to the descrip- 
tions of these birds, and you should easily 
determine its name; provided, of course, it is 
given in this book. We have presented here 
only the more common birds, as it would 
take a large book devoted to nothing else to 
present them all. There are a number of 
such books already on the market. 

If now you think you have determined the 
name of the bird, turn to the index of illus- 
trations and find a picture of it. This may 
further help you in the matter. 

COLOR GUIDE 

A. Birds marked conspicuously with blue. 

B. Birds marked conspicuously with red, 

C. Birds marked conspicuously with yellow or 

orange. 

D. Birds marked conspicuously with black or white. 

E. Birds marked conspicuously with olive-green or 

olive-brown. 

223 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

F. Birds marked conspicuously with gray or bluish. 

G. Birds marked conspicuously with brown or 

brownish. 

A. Marked conspicuously with blue. 

1. Large ; head with crest : Belted Kingfisher, Blue 

Jay. 

2. Small ; head not crested. 

a. Body wholly blue or blue-black: Purple 

Martin, Indigo Bird. 

b. Body not wholly blue or blue-black: Barn 

Swallow, Bluebird, Tree Swallow. 

B. Marked conspicuously with red. 

1. Body green or greenish: Ruby-crowned King- 

let, Ruby-throated Humming-bird. 

2. Body mainly red: Crossbill, Cardinal, Tan- 

agers, Pine Grosbeak. 

3. General color black or black and white : Red- 

winged Blackbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Redstart, Yellow- 
bellied Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, 
Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker. 

C. Marked conspicuously with yellow or orange. 

1. Head, throat, and most of back black: Balti- 

more Oriole, Redstart. 

2. Whole head not black : Maryland Yellowthroat, 

Yellow Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet, 
Yellow-throated Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, 
Dickcissel, Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped War- 
bler, Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Flicker, 
Meadow-lark. 

D. Marked conspicuously with black or black and 

white. 
I. Mainly black or black and white: The Black- 
birds, Cowbird, Bobolink, Red-breasted Gros- 
beak, Chewink, Redstart, Black and White 
Warbler, Snowflake. 

224 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 



E. 



2. Not wholly black and white : Baltimore Oriole, 
Goldfinch, Maryland Yellowthroat, Yellow- 
bellied Woodpecker, Meadow-lark, Red-bel- 
lied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, 
Orchard Oriole, Blue Jay. 

Marked conspicuously with olive-green or olive- 
brown. 

Under parts spotted: Ovenbird, Kinglets, Red- 
eyed Vireo. 




F. Marked conspicuously with gray or bluish gray. 

1. Plumage distinctly marked with black: Chick- 

adees, the Nuthatches, Shrike, Catbird. 

2. Plumage not distinctly marked with black: 

Junco, Mocking-bird. 

G. Marked conspicuously with brown or brownish: 

Flicker, Mourning Dove, Pigeon, Cuckoos, 
Brown Thrasher, Robin, Chimney Swift, 
Waxwing, Kingbird, Flycatchers, Swallows, 
Brown Creeper, Finches, Sparrows, Thrushes, 
Wrens. 



15 



225 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

The finches and sparrows have conical bills 
for cracking seeds; they are mostly ground 
and bush-hunting birds. 

The thrushes are relatively larger; the 
upper parts are not barred or streaked, and 
the under parts are spotted. 

The wrens are relatively small; upper parts 
barred or streaked; breasts not spotted. 

SPECIAL DESCRIPTIONS 

BLUEBIRD 

Length. — Seven inches. 

Upper parts clear bright blue. 
Throat and breast reddish earth color. 
Range. — Eastern United States and Southern Canada ; 
winters from southern Illinois and southern New 
York southward. 

ROBIN 
Length. — Ten inches. 

Upper parts slate color, with a tinge of brown. 
Head black on top and sides, white spots around the 

eyes. 
Tail black, white spots on tips of some feathers. 
Under parts brick red, except streaked with black 
and white on throat and under tail. 
Range. — United States and Canada. 

WESTERN ROBIN 

This bird lives in California and neighborhood, is a 
little lighter in color, practically the same otherwise as 
our common robin. 

226 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

WOOD-THRUSH 

Length. — Eight inches. 

Upper parts color ground cinnamon, brightest on 

head, Hght greenish on the tail. 
Under parts plain white in middle, plainly spotted 

with black over the breast and along sides. 
Eye-ring whitish. 
Range. — United States. It winters in Central America. 

WILSON'S THRUSH OR VEERY 

Length. — Seven and one-half inches. 

Upper parts similar to Wood-Thrush, but not so 
bright on head, and not a particle greenish on tail. 

Breast and throat deep cream color, finely speckled 
with brown on upper part. 

Belly white. No white ring around eye. 
Range. — Eastern Canada and United States to North- 
em Illinois and northern New Jersey, southward 
along the Alleghanies to North Carolina. Winters 
in Central America. 

HERMIT THRUSH 

Length. — Seven inches. 
Upper parts olive brown, except rich reddish-brown 

on tail. 
Throat and breast light buff with chains of black 

spots. 
Belly white. Yellowish ring around eye. 
Range. — Nests from Vermont to Northern Michigan, 
in the higher portions of Massachusetts, and on 
crests of Catskills and Alleghanies. Winters 
from Southern Illinois and New Jersey southward 
to the Gulf. 
Habits. — Has characteristic habit of gently raising 
and lowering the tail and at same time uttering 

227 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

low " chuck." Song similar to that of Wood- 
Thrush, but more tender and serene, sounding 
something like, '' O spheral, O spheral ! O holy, 
holy!" 

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH 

Length. — Seven inches, — same as Hermit. 
Upper parts even olive color all over. 
Under parts cream-yellowish, whiter on belly. 
Throat and breast spotted with black. 
A yellowish eye-ring like creamy color of breast. 
Range. — Eastern Canada and Northern New Eng- 
land. In the Rocky Mountains, and along Alle- 
ghanies to Pennsylvania. Winters in tropics. 

BROWN CREEPER 

Length. — Five and a half inches. 

Upper parts brown, white, and buff; plain brown 

tail ; light buff band on wings. 
Under parts v/hite. 

Bill very sharp and slender, curved like surgeon's 
needle. 
Range. — Eastern North America. Winters from 

Canada to Gulf States. 
Habits. — Found on tree trunks, seemingly always 
busy. Does not usually turn head downward like 
nuthatch. 

CHICKADEE 

Length. — Five inches. 

Upper parts ashy gray; head, back of neck, and 

throat, shiny black ; cheeks pure white. 
Middle of breast white ; sides and belly, buff. 
Range. — Eastern North America, and nests from 
southern Illinois and Pennsylvania northward to 

228 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Labrador, and along the Alleghanies to North 
Carolina. 

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 

Length. — Six inches. 

Upper parts grayish-blue. 

Black on top of head and top of neck, and some 

black and white marks on wings and tail. Sides 

of face and whole of breast white, rusty on belly. 

Bill strong, straight, sharp-pointed, two-thirds inch 

long. 

Range. — Eastern North America. 

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH 

Length. — Four and a half inches. 

Upper parts bluish-gray. Top of head and wide 

stripe through eye to nape shiny black. 
White line over eye. 

Throat white, rest of under parts reddish-brown. 
Range. — North America. Winters in Southern 
States. 

KINGLETS 

Length. — Four inches. 
Upper parts olive-green. 

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET 

Crown with partly concealed crest of bright red. 
Two whitish wing bars. 

GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET 

Center of crown bright reddish-orange, bordered by 

yellow and black. 
Upper parts of both birds soiled whitish. 
Range. — North America. Winters in southern part 

of United States. 

229 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



CATBIRD 

Length. — Eight or nine inches. 

Upper parts of slate color. Crown, bill, feet, tail, 

black. 
Under parts of lighter grayish-slate, except chest- 
nut-red spot under the tail. 

Range. — North America. Winters from Florida 
southward. 

Habits. — Also great singer and imitator, but not so 
great as mocking-bird. Has a number of cat-like 
notes and movements. 

MOCKING-BIRD 

Length. — Ten inches. 

Upper parts gray ; wings dusky brownish, each with 
large white spot; tail blackish with three white 
feathers on each side. 
Under parts whitish. 

Range. — Southern United States, sometimes straying 
as far north as New England. Winters from Vir- 
ginia southward. 

Habits. — Great singer ; has many comic songs, but 
sings his true song, which is a rapid, sweet melody, 
and is usually heard best after twilight. Has 
been known to imitate notes of no less than 
thirty-two different species of birds during ten 
minutes of continuous singing. 

SAGE THRASHER 

Length. — Eight inches. 

Upper parts gray, tinged with brown. 

Under parts white, shading to buff; breast thickly 

spotted with very dark brown. 
Two white bands on wings; white spots on end 
of tail. 
Range. — Western United States. 

230 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

BROWN THRASHER 
(Sometimes called Brown Thrush) 
Length. — Eleven inches. 

Upper parts bright reddish-brown, two light bands 

on wings. 
Under parts yellowish-white ; breasts and sides spot- 
ted with very dark brown. 
Very long tail, about five inches, fan-shaped. 
Is easily distinguished from the thrushes by this 
long tail. 
Range. — Eastern North America; winters from Vir- 
ginia southward. 
Habits. — As great a singer as the mocking-bird and 
the catbird, but no imitator. Often found on the 
ground. 

ROCK WREN 
Length. — About six inches. 

Back of gray, with fine black and white dots. 
Under parts of no special color. Part of tail feath- 
ers with black bars and cinnamon brown tips. 
Range. — United States from Rocky Mountains to 

Pacific Ocean. 
Habits. — Has a rich, ringing song, somewhat like the 
house wren's, but louder, stronger, and quicker. 
Often found about rocks, nesting there, and hiding 
among them when frightened. 

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN 
Length. — Five inches. 

Upper parts clear brown, long light line over the 
eye, black and white streaks on back; tail and 
wings marked with light and dark brown bars. 
Under parts white, tinged with brown on sides. 
Long, slender bill, longer than the house wren's. 
Song more bubbling and gurgling than the house 
wren's. 
Range. — Eastern United States. 

231 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

HOUSE WREN 

Length. — Five inches. 

Upper parts of dark brown finely barred with black. 
Under parts of gray, sides with numerous blackish 

bars. 
Tail comparatively long for a wren, usually held 
cocked up ; wings and tail finely barred. 
Range. — Eastern United States. Winters in South- 
ern States. 
Habits. — A fidgety little bird, given to scolding when 
imposed upon, having a merry song, the energy of 
whose outpouring causes his whole body to 
vibrate. 
Note. — There is a Western house wren slightly differ- 
ent from the above. 

WINTER WREN 

^Length. — Four inches. 

Upper parts dark cinnamon brown; wings and tail 

barred. 
Under parts marked with pale cinnamon brown. 
Lower breast, sides, and belly somewhat heavily 
barred with black. 
Range. — Eastern North America ; winters from Mas- 
sachusetts and Illinois to Florida. 

MARYLAND YELLOWTHROAT 

Length. — Five and a half inches. 

Upper parts olive-green, sometimes tinged with yel- 
lowish ; male has black mask reaching across fore- 
head, and on cheeks and ear-coverts ; behind this 
an ashy white border ; female has no black mask. 
Under parts bright yellow, changing to white on 
belly. 
Range. — Whole United States from Gulf States 
northward. 

232 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Note. — West of Mississippi River he is called West- 
ern Yellowthroat. 

Characteristics. — A beautiful and familiar bird of 
thickets and bushes. He is quite willing to meet 
you half way. Announces his coming by a quick 
repeated chack, chit, pit, or quit, as he hops from 
twig to twig, to quickly disappear again. 
Song sometimes given as Witchity, witchity, witch- 
ity; or possibly / beseech you, I beseech you, I 
beseech you; or perhaps / spy it, I spy it, I spy it. 
Sings all summer. 

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT 

Length. — Seven and a half inches. 

Upper parts evenly colored bright olive-green. 
Lower parts very bright yellow on throat, breast, 
and upper belly. Lower belly pure white, sides 
grayish. White eye-ring, and white line from eye 
to bill, and one on each side of throat. 

Range. — Eastern United States from Minnesota to 
Massachusetts, and southward. Winters in Cen- 
tral America. 

Note. — West of the plains his tail is longer, and he is 
there called Long-tailed Chat. He is the largest 
of the warblers. 

Characteristics. — A bird with an air of mystery, pecu- 
Har and eccentric. Has an odd jumble of whistles, 
chucks, and caws, apparently produced by differ- 
ent birds ; hence is something of a ventriloquist ; 
also utters the peculiar note which gives him the 
name of Chat. 

AMERICAN REDSTART 

Length. — Five and a half inches. 

Upper parts shining black, marked on wings and 
tail with rich salmon-red. 

233 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Under parts shining black on neck and breast. Sides 
bright salmon-red. Belly white, tinged with sal- 
mon. In the female, all the parts which are black 
in the male are bright greenish-gray, and she has 
clear yellow where he is red. 

Range. — North America. Winters in the tropics. 

Characteristics. — In Cuba this bird, on account of his 
bright plumage, is called Candelita, for he is the 
little torch that flashes through the gloomy depths 
of their heavy forests. Sings Ching, ching, chee; 
ser-mee, sniee, smee-e-e. Darts about with wings 
and tail outspread, catching gnats and cater- 
pillars. 
Sometimes called Dancing Warbler. 

BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER 

Length. — Five inches. 

Upper parts striped all over with black and white. 
Under parts striped on sides, white in middle. 
Range. — Eastern United States. Winters from 

Florida southward. 
Characteristics. — A weak, wheezy voice. From its 
habit of scrambling about tree-trunks and 
branches, it may be mistaken for a brown creeper, 
or a nuthatch, or possibly a woodpecker. 

YELLOW WARBLER 
(Summer Yellowbird) 

Length. — Five inches. 

Upper parts rich greenish-yellow, brighter on the 
crown; dark brown on wings and tail, inside half 
of each tail feather yellow, wings edged with yel- 
low. 

Under parts bright yellow, male bird streaked be- 
neath with rich brownish-red. 

234 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Note. — Sometimes called wild canary, a name also 
sometimes applied to the Yellowbird, or American 
Goldfinch, which see. 

Characteristics. — An active bird with song that sounds 
like wee-chee, chee, chee, chee-wee. 

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER 

(Myrtlebird) 

Length. — Five and a half inches. 

Upper parts dark gray, streaked with black. 

Two white bars on each wing; large white spots on 

some of the tail feathers. A patch of yellow on the 

rump and crown. 
Under parts white, breast and sides streaked with 

black. Each side of breast marked by a patch of 

yellow. 
Range. — Northern United States and northward, 

more common in East than West. Winters from 

southern New England to Panama. 

OVENBIRD 

(Golden-Crowned Thrush) 

Length. — Six inches. 
Upper parts brownish olive-green, a rusty-yellow 

streak between two black lines on the crown. 
Lower parts white, breast and sides with black 
streaks. 

Range. — West to Kansas and north to Alaska. Win- 
ters far South. 

Characteristics. — Has a, sharp, weak note, sounding 
like cheap. Song described by Mr. Burrough as 
Teacher, Teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, 
TEACHER. 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

RED-EYED VIREO 

Length, — Six inches. 

Upper parts light oHve green, white line over eye, 
and has gray cap with black border. No wing 
bars. 
Under parts white, shaded with greenish on sides. 

Note. — This bird is best distinguished by its slaty- 
gray cap bordered with a black line. 

Range. — Eastern North America westward to British 
Columbia. Winters in Central and South Amer- 
ica. 

Characteristics.— Found about trees. Called vireo 
from a Latin word meaning " green." His style 
of song has earned for him the name of the 
" Preacher." A relative, called the White-eyed 
Vireo, for a similar reason is called the " Politi- 
cian." 
The Red-eye sings during the heat of our long sum- 
mer days, when most birds are quiet. 

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE 

This bird is very similar to the preceding, both in 
appearance and habits, but may be found in summer 
in Eastern North America west to the edge of the 
plains. It is distinguished from the northern shrike 
by being over an inch shorter, by a narrow black line 
on the forehead at base of bill, and by having the line 
from the bill to the eye black, while in preceding bird 
it is grayish-black. 

GREAT NORTHERN SHRIKE 

Length. — Ten inches. 

Upper parts bluish-gray. A broad black stripe 
along the side of the head reaching back of the 
eye. Wings black with large white spot on each. 

236 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Tail black, tipped with white on outside feathers. 

Bill hooked and hawkli ke. 
Under parts grayish-white, finely barred with black. 
Range. — Found in United States only in winter. 

Spends its summer far North. 
Characteristics. — Preys on mice, noxious insects, and 

English sparrows, often impaling them on thorns, 

barbed fences, and forked twigs. 

CEDAR WAXWING 
(Cedar Bird or Cherry Bird) 

Length. — Seven inches. 

Upper parts rich grayish-brown, very smooth and 
satiny. A long fine-pointed crest ; forehead, chin, 
and a line through eye velvety black. Yellow 
band across end of tail. Inner wing feathers with 
small, red, seed-shaped, sealing-wax-like tips, 
from which it takes the name of Waxwing. 

Range. — North America. Winters from Northern 
United States to Central America. 

Characteristics. — Especially known for the gentleness 
and refined manner in which they treat one 
another. Called the most polite birds in creation. 
Especially given to passing dainty morsels of 
food to his next-door neighbor. In spite of what 
m.ay be said to the contrary, this bird eats very 
few cherries when he has access to wild berries, 
which he much prefers. 

BANK SWALLOW 

Length. — Five inches. 

Upper parts dusty brown, darker on wings. Tail 

slightly forked. 
Under parts white, a brown band across breast. 
Range. — North America north to Labrador and 
Alaska. Winters as far south as Brazil. 

237 



I 

I 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Characteristics. — Builds its nest in a hole in a sand- 
bank. Its song has been likened to a little girl's 
giggle. 

Note. — It may be distinguished from other swallows 
by its nesting habits, small size, and absence of 
metallic coloring. 
The rough-winged swallow is very similar to the 
bank swallow, both in habits and appearance ; but, 
unlike the bank swallow, it sometimes nests about 
bridges, railway trestles, and their abutments. 
It may be distinguished from the bank swallow by 
its plain, pale brownish-gray, evenly colored throat 
and breast, and by its somewhat slower, less erratic 
movements. 

TREE SWALLOW 

Length. — Six inches. 

Upper parts steel-blue or steel-green ; wings and tail 

darker. Tail slightly forked. 
Under parts pure white. 
Range. — North America north to Labrador and 

Alaska. Winters from South Carolina southward. 
Characteristics. — Nests in hollows of dead trees, old 

holes of woodpeckers, sometimes in bird boxes. 
Note. — Distinguished from other swallows by its 

pure-white breast and throat. 

BARN SWALLOW 

Length. — Six to seven inches. 

Upper parts shining steel-blue; face buff color. 
Under parts buff; throat brick-red with steel-blue 

collar. 
Tail very long and deeply forked, with side feathers 
narrow and spotted with white. 
Range. — North America, north to Greenland and 
Alaska ; winters as far south as southern Brazil. 

238 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Characteristics. — Builds a nest of mud and straw on 
a beam in the hayloft. Has a sweet call-note and 
happy twittering song. It consumes a vast num- 
ber of winged insects. 

PURPLE MARTIN 

Length. — Seven and a half inches. 

Upper parts shining blue-black; wings and forked 

tail duller. 
Under parts same as upper in male, but grayish- 
white in female and young birds. 

Range. — North America, north to Newfoundland 
and Saskatchewan; winters in Central and South 
America. 

Characteristics. — Song rich and musical, flute-like, of 
two or three notes. Quite common in South, but 
decreasing in numbers in North. The English 
sparrow is one of its greatest enemies, driving it 
from its nesting boxes and attacking the young 
birds. 

, SCARLET TANAGER 

Length. — Seven inches. 

Male. — Bright scarlet with black wings and tail. 

Female. — Light olive-green above, dull yellow below; 
dusky wings and tail. 

Range. — Eastern North America. Winters in Cen- 
tral northern South America. 

Characteristics. — This is the brightest-red bird you 
will find in Eastern North America. Its song sug- 
gests the song of the robin. 

SUMMER TANAGER 

Length. — Same. 

This bird breeds farther south than does the scarlet 
tanager. The male has grayish-brown wings mar- 

239 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

gined with rose-red, and the under parts of the 
females are yellowish-orange. It may also be 
easily identified by its characteristic call-note — a 
clearly enunciated Chicksy-tucksy-tuck. 

LOUISIANA TANAGER 

Length. — About seven inches. 

Male. — Rich yellow ; black wings, tail, and middle of 

back; the head entirely crimson. 
Female. — Very similar to female scarlet tanager. 
Range. — Western United States. 
Note. — First discovered by Lewis and Clark in what 

is now Idaho, near the Oregon border, and named 

the Louisiana Tanager by Alexander Wilson in 

honor of the Louisiana Purchase. 

AMERICAN CROSSBILL 

Length. — Six inches. 

Male. — General color dull red with dark wings and 

tail. 
Female. — General color dull olive-green, wings and 

tail similar to male. 
Range. — Northward from Northern United States. 

Sometimes travels as far south as the Gulf in 

winter. 
Note. — Beak somewhat like a parrot's, except that 

points cross near tips. 

PINE GROSBEAK 

Length. — Nine inches. 

Adult male. — Mostly strawberry red in color, wings 

and tail dark, with white edging. Tail slightly 

forked. 
Female and Young Male. — General color gray, tinged 

here and there with saffron yellow. 

240 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Range. — Northern half of North America, occasion- 
ally seen in northern United States in winter. 

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH 
(Yellowbird, Thistlebird, Jollybird) 

Length, — Five inches. 

Male in Summer. — Bright, clear yellow head, with 
black cap, wings, and tail black with some white. 

Female and Male in Winter, — Upper parts grayish- 
brown, with tinge of olive, wings and tail as 
above, less distinctly marked with white, no black 
cap. 

Range. — Temperate North America. Winters from 
northern United States to Gulf. 

Characteristics. — Song somewhat like canary, but 
more wild and ringing. Flies in many curves, 
singing Per-chick-o-ree on downward curves. 

THE SNOWFLAKE 

Length. — Seven inches. 

In Summer. — Snow-white ; black on back, wings, and 
tail. 

In Winter. — Upper parts a rusty brown, black stripes 
on back ; under parts white, rusty marks on breast 
and side. 

Range. — At home in the Arctic regions; in winter is 
sometimes found as far south as Georgia. 

Note. — The Snowflake may be known by the fact 
that it is the only one of our sparrowlike birds 
that has white prevailing on its wings and tail as 
well as on its body. 

Characteristics. — It is never found perched in a tree, 
but sometimes on a house or fence. Always pro- 
gresses by walking, never hopping. Sometimes 
found foraging about barnyards. 

^6 241 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



VESPER SPARROW 

Length. — Six inches. 

Upper parts brown, with darker streaks. No yellow 
anywhere; two white tail feathers; bright bay on 
the wings. 
Under parts dull white, brown stripes on breast and 
sides. 

Range. — North America ; nests from southern Illi- 
nois and Virginia northward into Canada. 

Note. — The bay on wings and two white tail feathers, 
showing plainly in flight, distinguishes this bird 
from all the other sparrows. 

Characteristics. — A fine singer, with song something 
like the song-sparrow, but sweeter and more plain- 
tive. Often found in dry upland fields and along 
dusty roadsides. 

THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 

Length. — Six and a half inches. 

Back striped with bay, black, and gray; wings with 
two white bars edged with yellow ; crown black 
with two white stripes; a yellow line before the 
eye. 
Under parts gray, pure white throat, edged with little 
black streaks. 
Range. — Eastern North America ; winters from 
Massachusetts to Florida. 

THE CHIPPING SPARROW 

Length. — About five inches. 

Forehead and bill black, a short grayish line in its 
middle; top of the head dark chestnut; a light 
stripe over the eye, and a dark stripe behind the 
eye ; back streaked with black, brown, and buff ; 
rump slate-gray; wings and tail dusky. 

242 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Under parts plain light-gray, darker on the breast, 
and almost white on the throat and belly. 

Range. — Eastern North America. Winters in the 
Gulf States and Mexico. 

Characteristics. — Song a monotonous chippy, chippy, 
chippy, " rather high and wiry," sometimes run- 
ning into an insectlike trill. The humblest of the 
sparrows. Very sociable, sometimes called the 
Sociable Bird. 

THE SLATE-COLORED JUNCO 

Length. — About six inches. 

Dark slate color ; throat and breast slate-gray ; belly 
and side tail feathers white; pinkish-white beak. 

Range. — North America ; winters southward to the 
Gulf States. 
Sometimes called Snowbird. Usually seen in the 
United States in winter, picking up in the door- 
yard what he can find. Travel in flocks. Has a 
curious habit of feeding mostly in the shady 
places. 

THE SONG-SPARROW 

Length. — About six inches. 

Head and back streaked with brown and gray; a 

brown stripe on each side of the throat. 
Under parts whitish, striped with dark brown, 
which tend to form one large blotch on the 
breast. 

Range. — Eastern North America ; winters from south- 
ern Illinois and Massachusetts to the Gulf States. 

Characterictics. — Its song may be heard in any sea- 
son of the year, day or night. When alarmed 
never flies upward, but downward or forward and 
into some low thicket, pumping its tail as it flies. 

243 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



THE TOWHEE 
(Joree, Chewink, Ground Robin) 

Length. — About eight and a half inches. 

Male. — Upper parts black, sometimes margins with 
chestnut ; throat and chest black, belly white ; tan 
colored under the tail, the side feathers of which 
are white-tipped- 

Female. — Reddish-brown where the male is black. 

Range. — Eastern North America ; winters from Vir- 
ginia to Florida. 

Characteristics. — Found in thickets and bushy under- 
growths. Notes of cheewink, towhee. Song has 
been vocalized as chuck-burr, pill-a-will-a-will-a. 

THE CARDINAL 

Length. — Eight and a quarter inches. 

Male. — Splendid cardinal red ; throat black ; black 

band about the coral-red bill ; a fine long crest. 
Female. — Yellowish-brown, some red in the crest, 

wings, and tail ; face not so black as the male's. 
Range. — Eastern United States to the plains, and 

from Florida to the Great Lakes. 

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK 

Length. — About eight inches. 

Male. — Black on the head, back, wings, and tail ; the 
belly, rump, several spots on the wings, and three 
outer tail-feathers, white ; breast and wing-linings 
rose-colored ; bill white and very heavy. 

Female. — Upper parts grayish-brown, margined with 
cream-buff and pale grayish-brown; no rosy 
color ; orange-yellow under wings ; white line 
over eye ; buffy line through center of crown. 

Range. — Eastern North America; winters in Central 
and South America. 

244 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE 

(Firebird, Golden Robin, Hang-nest, Hammock- 
maker) 

Length. — Seven and a half inches. 

Male. — Orange flame-color with head, neck, and 
upper half of back black ; wings black, edged with 
white ; tail marked with black and orange. 

Female. — Not so bright as male, duller orange, and 
black mixed with gray, olive, and brown. 

Range. — Eastern North America ; winters in Central 
America. 

Characteristics. — A brilliant bird. The nest is a won- 
derful construction of woven fibers. The young 
are great cry-babies. 

THE INDIGO BIRD 
(Blue Canary) 

Length. — Five and a half inches. 

Male. — Bright blue, greener blue than bluebird ; wings 
and tail dusky. 

Female. — Plain grayish-brown without streaks ; un- 
der parts whitish, some streaks, one black streak 
under the beak. 

Range. — Eastern United States ; winters in Central 
Am.erica. Female a sparrow-looking bird, but 
with a glint of blue; nervously twitches her tail 
from side to side; very distrustful of prying 
strangers. Male sings even in August. 

THE ORCHARD ORIOLE 

Length. — Seven inches. 

Male. — Black ; rump, breast, belly, and part of wings 

chestnut; wings and tail edged or tipped with 

whitish. 

245 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 



Female. — Upper parts grayish-green, brighter on 

head and rump; tail bright olive-green; under 

parts dull yellow. 
Young Bird. — Much like his mother the first year ; 

has a black throat the second year, and some 

patches of chestnut on the under parts ; later like 

his father. 
Ra7ige. — Eastern North America; winters in Central 

America. 
Characteristics. — Builds a beautiful hanging nest in 

orchard and lawn trees. 

THE COWBIRD 

Length. — About seven and a half inches. 

Male. — Very glossy black, with metallic reflections, 

except head and neck, which are coffee-brown. 
Female. — Dusky brown, lighter on lower parts. 
Range. — The whole United States ; winters from 

southern Illinois southward. 
Characteristics. — Sometimes the males are mistaken 

for blackbirds. Often found with cattle, even 

perching on their backs. 

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 

Length. — Nine and a half inches. 

Male. — Glossy black with scarlet shoulders, edged 

wath buf¥. 
Female. — Mixed rusty black and buff ; shoulder not 

so conspicuous or brightly colored. 
Range. — North America in general. 

THE PURPLE CRACKLE 

(Crow Blackbird, Rusty Hinge) 

Length. — Twelve to thirteen and a half inches. 
Male. — Glossy black, with metallic purple, blue, and 
green reflections. 

246 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Female. — Smaller — not twelve inches — and much 

duller in color. 
Range. — East of the Alleghanies from Georgia to 

Massachusetts. 

BRONZED CRACKLE 

Very similar to above, but distinguished from it 
by having its range in the Central States, by less 
musical or metallic notes, and especially by having no 
iridescent bars on the feathers of the back. 

THE MEADOW-LARK 

Length. — Ten and eleven inches. 

Upper parts brown, gray, bay, and black; head 

striped, and yellow spot in front of the eye. 
Under parts nearly all yellow, black crescent on 

breast, dark stripes farther back. 
A very useful, beautiful bird and a fine songster. 

THE BLUE JAY 

Length. — Nearly twelve inches. 

Large fine blue and black crest. 

Upper parts blue, with black bars and some white 
tips on wings and tail. 

Upper parts grayish-white, with a black collar. 
Range. — North America. 

THE AMERICAN CROW 

Length. — From eighteen to twenty inches. 

Glossy black all over, with steel-blue or deep pur- 
plish reflections. 
Range. — North America ; winters in United States. 

247 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

THE KINGBIRD 

Length. — Eight inches. 

Upper parts slate-colored ; head, wings, and tail 
black ; white tip on tail ; a flaming orange spot on 
crown. 
Under parts pure white, breast slightly grayish. 
Range. — North America ; winters in Central and 
South America. 

THE PHCEBE 

Length. — Seven inches. 

Upper parts deep olive-brown, darkest on head ; bill 

and feet black. 
Under parts dull white, with yellowish or grayish 
tinge. 
Range. — Eastern North America ; winters in the 
Southern States to Cuba and Mexico. 

THE WOOD PEWEE 

Length. — Six and a half inches. 

Upper parts dark brown, with sometimes a tinge of 
dark olive-green ; two more or less light bars on 
wings; top of the head no darker than back, by 
which it may be distinguished from the phoebe, 
and also by the under side of beak not black. 
Upper parts yellowish-white with a tinge of dark 
gray along the side and across the breast. 

Range. — Eastern North America ; winters in Central 
America. 

RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD 

Length. — A little less than four inches. 
Male. — Bright, shining green above ; tail and wings 
dark purplish; throat beautiful metallic ruby-red, 

248 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

bordered on breast with whitish ; other under parts 

grayish, washed with greenish on the sides. 
Female. — Without ruby throat, and tail not forked as 

in male, but some of its feathers tipped with white. 
Range. — Eastern North America; winters from 

Florida to Central America. 

CHIMNEY SWIFT 

(Chimney " Swallow ") 

Length. — Five and a half inches. 

Sooty brown ; tail feathers sharply pointed. 
Range. — Eastern North America ; winters in Central 

America. 
Characteristics. — Nests in chimneys. It is not a 

swallow, though sometimes so called. A bird of 

wonderful wing power. 

THE DOWNY WOODPECKER 

Length. — Barely seven inches — the smallest North 

American woodpecker. 
Upper parts black, a long white patch on middle of 

the back; wings spotted with black and white; 

tail with outer black and white bars. Male only 

has red band on back of head. 
Under parts white 
Range. — Eastern North America. Does not go 

South in winter. 
Characteristics. — Cuts into the body of trees for in- 

jurious insects; very useful, and should be pro- 
tected. 

THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER 

Length. — About nine inches. 

Head and neck all crimson-red; glossy blue-black 
on back and most of wings ; rest snow-white with 

249 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

red tinge on belly. Young ones gray where old 
birds are red, and other colors are not so pure. 
Range. — Eastern North America. 

FLICKER 

(High-hole, Clape, Yellow-Hammer, Golden- 
Winged Woodpecker) 
Length. — Twelves inches. 

Upper parts brown, barred with black; rump snow- 
white ; head gray, with scarlet band on the back 
of it. 

Under parts with round black spots; large black 
crescent on breast ; throat lilac ; male only has 
black stripe on either side of throat, from base 
of bill, something like a mustache. 

Under sides of wings and tail golden-yellow, show- 
ing beautifully in flight. 
Range. — North America, west to Rocky Mountains 
and Alaska; winters from Illinois and Massachu- 
setts southward. 

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. 

Length. — Eight and a half inches. 

Crown deep scarlet in the male ; back barred irreg- 
ularly with black and yellowish white ; wings and 
tail black, with much white. 
Under parts light yellow on the belly, scarlet on the 
throat, black on the breast, black marks on sides. 
Range. — Eastern North America; winters from Vir- 
ginia to Central America. 

MOURNING DOVE 

Upper parts olive grayish-brown; forehead buff- 
pink ; crown bluish slate-colored ; sides of neck 
with metallic reflections, a small black mark below 
the ear; tail like back, ashy gray, bounded with 
black, and tipped with ashy and white. 

250 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

Breast like forehead ; belly cream-buff. The female 
has breast and forehead washed with grayish- 
brown, no metallic reflections on neck. 

Range. — North America ; winters from Southern Illi- 
nois and New York to the Greater Antilles and 
Panama. 

Caution. — This bird is sometimes mistaken for the 
wild pigeon. Doves are smaller, and their flight 
is accompanied by a whistling of the wings, while 
the flight of pigeons is said to be noiseless. It 
may also be distinguished from the pigeon by the 
dove's black mark below the ear. 

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO 

Length. — About twelve inches. 

Upper parts olive-gray; wings tinged with bright 
cinnamon ; most of tail feathers black, with large 
white spots at the ends. 
Under parts pure white. Under half of bill yellow. 
Range. — North America; winters in Central and 
South America. 
The black-billed cuckoo is to be distinguished from 
the above by the bill being all black, by its having 
no cinnamon on wings, and no black on tail. 

BELTED KINGFISHER 

Length. — About thirteen inches. 

Long bristling crest ; bill longer than the head, stout, 

straight, and sharp. 
Leaden-blue above, with many white markings on 

tail and wings. 
Under parts white, with blue belt across breast; 
female has also a brown belt. 
Range. — North America. 

Characteristics. — Not of any particular use, and cer- 
tainly of no injury. He simply minds his own 
business, and so sets us a worthy example. 

251 



THE STUDY OF BIRDS 

Many desire to study the birds, but do not know 
how to set about it. To such, a few suggestions will 
be acceptable. It is neither interesting nor profitable 
to wander about aimlessly, gazing idly at the birds. 
Therefore, the first thing necessary is to know what 
to look for. 

If you see a bird with which you are not acquainted, 
take note of everything he does and of all his points of 
interest. 

I. Size: Notice whether he is about the same size as 
the robin or the English sparrow, or larger or smaller. 
Then in your note-book write, '* Size, robin," meaning 
he is as large as a robin. If smaller, write, '' Size, 
robin — ; " or if larger, write, " Size, robin +." 

II. Plumage: Its color, and whether bright or dull. 

III. Markings: Notice the color of the top of the 
head, of the back, the breast, wings, and tail. The 
markings will be one of your most certain means of 
identifying birds. 

IV. Shape: Note if the body is short and stocky, 
or long and slender. Note the bill, if short and stout 
for cracking seeds ; long and slender for holding 
worms ; long and heavy for drilling holes ; slender and 
delicate for probing flowers ; hooked for tearing prey, 
etc. Note the shape of the wings — whether short and 
round, for short flights ; long and slender, for long 
flights. Note if tail is square, notched, fan-shaped, 
graduated, pointed, long and forked, or short and 
tipped with spines. Then the foot : If weak and used 
only for perching and clinging ; or if strong, and used 
for walking, climbing, or for holding and tearing prey. 

V. Movements: Any peculiarities about the bird 
should be noted, as they are usually characteristic. 
Does the bird hop, walk, creep up tree-trunks, twitch 
the tail from side to side, scratch with both feet, etc.? 

252 



INTRODUCTIONS TO THE BIRDS 

VI. Flight: If fast, note the fact, and whether 
direct, abrupt, and zigzag, or smooth and circHng. If 
slow, take note of it, and whether flapping, saiUng and 
soaring, flapping and saiHng alternately, or obliquely, 
or undulating. 

You can also make notes of where the bird is 
observed. It may be in the orchard or the garden, 
by the roadside, in the woods, in the meadow, or by 
the water. These places tell much about the life habits 
of your bird. 

Of course, you should notice what sort of food the 
bird eats, so far as you can, and note this also. And 
you will find many interesting things in observing how 
the bird gets its food. 

Surely you will not neglect to note his song and 
all his notes, as in calling when alarmed, when irri- 
tated, etc. Note the manner and time of singing. Is 
it from a perch, in the air, in the night, and when 
does it join the daybreak chorus? Is the song plain- 
tive, or happy ; is it long or short ? 

Where you can, note the location of the nest, 
whether near the ground, on tree-trunks, on branches, 
in a crotch, on a horizontal limb, or pendent from a 
branch. Then the size and form of the nest, — cup, 
pocket, basket, dome, or retort-shaped. What kind 
of material enters into the construction of the nest, 
and for how long a time is it used? Is it abandoned 
after the first brood, or is it used for a number of years ? 
If you have an opportunity, you should watch the 
building of the nest, and learn the methods of its 
construction, the number of days required, and the 
habits of the male at this time. 

Note the number of eggs, their color and their 
markings. You should learn all you can of the work 
of incubation. When the birds are hatched, are they 
feathered or naked; their conditions during growth, 
and their conditions when they leave the nest; how 
they are cared for by their parents. 



MY GARDEN NEIGHBORS 

Every school teacher ought to enUst her pupils in 
making a census of the grounds near by. Make a map 
or chart of the grounds selected. Place this map, 
drawn to a large scale, on the board. Begin in the 
fall to find all the bird nests, note their location, and 
mark them on the map or chart. Mark not only the 
location of the nest, but where built, and of what bird. 
B}^ keeping such record for a few years, you will know 
whether the birds are increasing or decreasing in that 
particular section ; what ones should be attracted and 
encouraged ; what ones, if any, should be discouraged 
or driven away. Many other things will be suggested 
by the study, and you will have an outdoor study for 
yourself and your pupils that will aid body as well as 
mind. 

In the note-books used for individual study, near 
the front of the book, have written the following sug- 
gestions for study : — 

1. Locality — tree: bush: ground. 

2. Size — compare with robin or English sparrow. 

3. Form — long : short : stocky : slender. 

4. Bill — stout : hooked : long : short : slender. 

5. Tail — length : shape at end. 

6. Legs — long : weak : strong : short : scales. 

7. Toes — webbed: how turned: length of hind 

claws. 

8. Color — bright : dull. 

9. Markings — on head : breast : wings : tail : back. 

10. Manners — walk: hop: quiet: active: noisy: 

silent. 

11. Habits — of eating. 

12. Song — long: short: continuous: broken. 

13. Flight — direct: undulating: fluttering: la- 

bored. 

14. Nest — place : shape : materials : eggs. 

15. Young — plumage: behavior: how cared for. 



254 



INDEX 



Pages containing Special Descriptions are marked with star. 



American Crossbill, *24o. 

Bird Cat, 7, 16, 18, 25-27, 51, 55. 
Blackbird, Red-winged, 132, 137, 

*246, 
Blackbird, Crow, *246, *247. 
Bluebirds, 9-1 1, 22-26, 45-58, 212, 

*226. 

Blue Jay, 65-70, 211, 212, *247. 
Brown Creeper, 99, *228. 
Brown Thrasher, 188, *23i. 

Cardinal, 153, 154, 159, *244- 
Cat, 55, 111-131. 
Catbird, *230. 
Cedar, Waxwing, *2Z7. 
Chat, Yellow-breasted, *2Z2. 
Chewink, 170, *244. 
Chickadee, *228. 
Cowbird, 164-175, *246. 
Crow, 197, 200-203, *247. 
Cuckoos, *25i. 

Dandelion, 78. 

Dove, Mourning, *25o. 

Eagle, 192-196, 
Flicker, 121, *250, 
Flycatcher, 42. 
Frog, 85-92. 

Garden, 7, 12, 18, 22, 2Z, 61, 

73-82. 
Goldfinch, *24i, 87. 
Crackles, Purple, ^246. 
Grosbeak, Bronzed, *247. 
Grosbeak, Pine, *24o. 
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, *244. 
Gun, 12, 15. 

Humming-Bird, Ruby-Throated, 
*248. 



Indigo Bird, 170, *245. 

Jay, Blue, '247. See Blue Jay. 
Junco, Slate-colored, 243. 

Kingbird, 212, *248. 
Kingfisher, 53, 251. 
Kinglets, 191, *229. 

Martin, Purple, *239. 
Maryland, Yellowthroat, *2Z2. 
Meadow-lark, 203-205, *247. 
Mallow, 75. 
Mice, 113-117. 
Mockingbird, *230. 
Mulberries, 64. 

Nuthatch, White-breasted, 216, 

*229. 

Nuthatch, Red-breasted, *229. 

Obstacles, 42. 

Oriole, 59, 63-65, 170, *245. 
Oriole, Orchard, *245. 
Ovenbird, *235. 

Parsnip, 81. 
Pewee, *248. 
Phoebe, 40, *248. 
Plantain, *76-78. 

Redstart, American, *2ZZ' 
Robin, 181-183, *226. 
Robin, Western, ^226. 
Rock Wren, *23i. 



Sage Thrasher, ^230. 

Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 

Scarabaeus, 93. 

Seeds, 78-81. 

Shrike, Loggerhead, *236. 

Shrike, Northern, *236. 

Snowflake, 241. 



'250. 



255 



INDEX 



Sparrow, 8-27, 31-42, 184-190. 
Sparrow, Lark, 207-208. 
Sparrow, Song, 175, *243. 
Sparrow, Vesper, *242. 
Sparrow, White-throated, *242. 
Sparrow, Chipping, *242. 
Spider, 135-150. 
Swift, Chimney, *249. 
Swallow, Bank, 237. 
Swallow, Tree, 238. 
Swallow, Barn, 238. 

Tadpole, 86, 89, 90. 
Tanager, Scarlet, 155, *239. 
Tanager, Summer, 155, ^239. 
Tanager, Louisiana, *24o. 
Thistle, 79-81. 
Thrasher, Sage, 231. 
Thrasher, Brown, 231. 
Thrush, 170. 
Thrush, Wilson's, *227. 
Thrush, Brown, *i85. 
Thrush, Wood, *22y. 
Thrush, Hermit, *227. 
Thrush, Olive-backed, *228. 
Towhee, *244. 
Trees, 18, 153. i54- 
Trumnet Creeoer. 81. 



Tumblebugs, 85-108. 

Verbena, 81. 
Veery, *226. 
Violet, 71, 74. 
Vireo, 160, 170, 236. 

Warblers, Yellow, 190, *234. 
Warblers, Black and White, 234. 
Warblers, Yellow-Rumped, 235. 
Waxwing, Cedar, 237. 
Weeds, 74-82. 

Wilson's Thrush. See Thrush. 
Woodpecker, Downy, *249. 155. 
Woodpecker, Red-headed, *249, 

151- 
Wood Thrush. See Thrush. 
Worms, 22-24, 56. 
Wren, House, 6, 16-22, 125, 126, 

180, *232. 

Wren, Winter, *232. 
Wren, Rock, *23i. 
Wren, Marsh, *23i. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, *2So. 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, *25i. 
Yellow-breasted Chat, 233. 
Yellow-rumped Warbler, 235. 
Yellow Throat, Maryland, *232. 
Yellow Warbler. 2:ix. 



s6 



I 



OCT 31 1995 



